


Unexpected Feelings

by TheWildOne1



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Bellarke, F/M, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-01-23 21:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 46,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1580354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildOne1/pseuds/TheWildOne1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after episode 1x07. Bellamy and Clarke have reached a turning point. They've come to depend on each other as leaders and rely on one another's advice. Bellamy can't help but respect Clarke and she is coming to not only respect but care for him in return. They started out as enemies but where they go from here could change everything. **Rated for Language**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is the first fanfic that I have ever written so it may be a bit rough. I would love some feedback and I'm not afraid of criticism. I'm going to write more chapters as long as I don't get too many negative reviews. The rating may also go up as I continue the story! Thanks for any and all support!

 

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke felt like falling apart. She stood just outside the gates, looking down on the graves of the 100 that was lost to them. She liked to come here to get away and be alone to think without wandering too far from camp. No one else liked to come here and be reminded of the death surrounding them every day.

The last 10 days on Earth had been filled with such chaos and heartbreak that is was almost too much to bear. Clarke missed her best friend Wells and wished that she had had more time to repair their friendship before he was murdered. She had to watch a young girl, no more than a child really, jump to her death in order to repent. She found comfort in Finn then the next day lost him to another. She had to kill a boy just to end his suffering. Then Finn getting stabbed by a Grounder and the only way to save him was contact her mother. The same mother who got her beloved father floated for the crime of wanting to warn the people about the conditions on the Ark. And finally, her giving Bellamy the okay to torture another human being just so she could save Finn from a deathly poison.

How much could one person take before they broke? She wished she had someone to turn to but she's lost everyone that she could count on down here. The last person to comfort her was Bellamy, letting her know that her actions regarding their survival don't necessarily reflect the person she is inside. She had a feeling that he was also including himself in that statement. It was a softening in him that she hasn't expected but it allowed her to see a glimpse into the real him. The him that existed outside of this place.

Clarke could feel tears streaming down her face as the thoughts tumbled around in her head. She froze as she heard a twig snap behind her.

 

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy had been looking for Clarke for a few hours. They needed to decide on what to do about the Grounder. She was right when she had said that they couldn't keep him there at camp.

After searching the entire camp he wandered out to the gravesite to see if she went there. He couldn't believe she would be that stupid with the danger of Grounders. The fact that she went was all alone as everyone else was still cleaning up after the storm made it even worse. He was muttering to himself about stupid brave princesses when he froze at the sight upon him. Clarke was crying.

She was always so brave and strong when dealing with him. Whether in his face fighting with him or forcing him to listen to her way of thinking, he forgot that even she could be fragile too. He got glimpse now and then, such as when Charlotte died, but it was so easy to forget the rest of the time.

He didn't do so well with crying. Yet he knew that he couldn't leave Clarke out her by herself. Not only would there be several pissed off people if something happened to her, he knew he didn't have it in himself to walk away from her when she was hurting this badly.

Bellamy took a step forward and a twig snapped beneath his foot. He saw her freeze and he stopped.

"Princess?" he spoke softly, without the usual sarcasm.

 

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

"Go away Bellamy"

Clarke took a moment to gather herself together, quickly wiping away the tears.

"Can't do that Princess. It's not safe to be out here alone"

She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw him giving her an intense look. As she turned towards him, it slipped away and she instead got the trademark Bellamy smirk.

Instead of answering, she started walking back to the gate. Bellamy fell in step beside her, neither saying a word. She could feel that he wanted to say something but for once, he seemed to be holding back. She appreciated that he understood that she wasn't ready for conversation.

When they were within view of the gate, he grabbed her elbow lightly to hold her back. He turned her towards him. He seemed to hesitate a moment before making up his mind.

"Is everything…okay?"

Clarke stared at him a minute, shocked that he would ask. She knew that he thought she was a pain in the ass and nosy as hell. He'd made his opinion of her quite clear over the past few days so this was out of character, even for him. The longer she stared at him, the more uncomfortable he seemed to get and she could swear that a faint blush was creeping into his cheeks.

"What?" he snarled, reverting to his old standby attitude, "I'm not a total asshole Clarke! Even I know when someone is hurting."

She paused, realizing that her silence had hurt Bellamy's feelings. Her. The Princess.

 

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy was embarrassed, hurt and angry. All because The Princess didn't think he was capable of being kind. Why did he bother if that's all she thought about him? That he was a heartless bastard. He thought they were past all this. That she understood him better after they spoke her regarding her involvement in the torture of the Grounder.

He turned away, not wanting to let her see how much she had upset him. He respected her after what happened with Atom and just wanted her respect in return. Though why he did was beyond him. He knew that they saw things differently but that didn't mean they couldn't work together.

That's when he felt it. Clarke had reached out and put her hand on his arm, right below where he had pushed his sleeve up earlier. He felt her skin against his skin and it shook him slightly. His heart beat faster but he didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the events of the day. Maybe it was because of the surprise that she willingly reached out to touch him. Maybe, just maybe, it was for the same reason that he looked for her whenever he woke up in the morning and right before he went to bed. The feeling that she was important to his survival, even if he couldn't put his finger on the reason just yet.

"I'm sorry Bellamy. I didn't mean to…" she paused, as if unsure how to finish, "I just…I'm just sick of all of it. The pain, the death, the constant worry. You were right earlier when you said it's not easy being leader."

She started to pull away and he grabbed her hand, "No, it's not. But someone has to do it. Who better than you and me?"

"I guess we do make a good team. When we aren't trying to kill each other that is" She gave a small smile at that.

He grinned in response, "True, but that's part of the fun of it"

That started a laugh out of her and she gave a true smile. Not one that he usually got to see directed at him. It made his heart skip a fraction of a beat but he brushed it off. Satisfied that they made headway and that she didn't seem as depressed as she had been only few moments ago, he nodded his head in the direction of the camp.

"We should probably head back inside camp now"

"Yeah, we should before they send out a search party for us."

In union, they both looked down at his hand still holding hers as if surprised to find that they were still touching.

 

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke couldn't believe that she and Bellamy were practically holding hands and that it hadn't bothered her. At least not in the way she would have thought it would a few days ago if he had done it. It gave her pause and she looked up to find that he was already looking at face. He had an intense look on his face and seemed to be almost gauging her response.

Her heart was thumping so loudly she could swear he could hear it. She felt like something had just shifted between them but she wasn't sure what. She opened her mouth to speak, unsure of what was going to come out, when they were interrupted by cat calls coming from the gate.

Bellamy dropped her hand like it burnt him and he took a step back. It took only seconds before the smirk was back on his face and it was like the last few minutes never happened.

He was once again the Rebel Leader and she was the Brave Princess.


	2. Chapter 2

 

**(CLARKE)**

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Clarke after she and Bellamy got back to camp. Ignoring him and the annoying cat callers at the gate, she held her head up high and quickly walked back to her tent. She spent the rest of the day avoiding Bellamy, not wanting to be reminded of that moment back in the woods.

The moment Bellamy looked at her as if he thought she mattered to him.

She was confused by the feelings that he had stirred up. She could have sworn she had seen respect and something warmer in the depth of his eyes he looked at her. Yet, she was still hurting after what had happened with Finn. She could tell that Finn had feelings for her but he was with Raven. She would not come between them.

Clarke spent that night tossing and turning, her mind going over and over that moment as well as the rest of the day's events. When she finally fell asleep, thoughts of Bellamy and Finn followed her into her dreams.

She dreamt that the Grounders had invaded the camp and they were threatening to kill both boys unless she choose to save one of them. Her automatic instinct was to save Finn, the spacewalker that had stolen her heart only days before. Yet something held her back. She kept looking over at Bellamy and hesitating. The Grounders got tired of waiting for her decision and slit both their throats right in front of her. She fell to her knees screaming.

Clarke woke up with a gasp. Her heart was pounding and she was shaking all over. She felt wetness on her face and realized she had been crying in her sleep. She pushed down the memory of the dream and wiped the tears with the back of her hands. After quickly getting dressed, she left her tent consumed in her own thoughts.

She didn't want to analyze what the dream meant. That would mean she would have to think about yesterday and that was unacceptable.

Especially when one of the objects of her dream was standing only a few feet away from her when she emerged outside.

 

* * *

 

 

**(BELLAMY)**

He noticed her the moment she stepped out of her tent. Even among a large group, such as the one that had gathered this morning, he could always sense where she was. He hated that he was so aware of her.

Clarke was stubborn and opinionated. She bossed him around as if SHE were leader and not him. She got in his face about every decision that he made. Yet…she intrigued him. She challenged him to be a better person. Even if she complicated everything he was trying to accomplish, he was still glad that there was someone like her here on the ground.

Bellamy knew the moment when she spotted him and his heart stopped for a beat. Their eyes connected and it was like the world stopped as well. He wasn't prepared for his reaction to the sight of her and he had to work at not showing it.

She had to move in and around several people in order to reach him so he was ready for her by the time she did. He glanced around the camp and saw that the majority were watching the two of them. He knew they remembered how he had looked to her for permission yesterday when they started beating up the Grounder. He also could tell from several whispers that rumors of the moment outside the gate had started circling the camp.

"Well it's about damn time Princess. We can't all sleep the day away like royalty" he mocked. He hated doing it but he hoped it would put Clarke on the defensive and he could avoid questions that he didn't have answers for.

He saw something that looked a lot like hurt flash across her face before it vanished and he felt guilty. As usual, she didn't respond to the jab and went straight to what was important.

"What's going on Bellamy? What's with the all the excitement in camp?"

"The Ark found information about some post not far from here that may or may not have supplies for us." He rolled his eyes, feeling skeptical about the new information.

"What!? But that's great!"

He shrugged. "Yeah…and who's going to go get it Princess? We don't know what else is out there or if it's even still there. Seems like a waste of time and resources. The Grounders could come at any moment."

"Bellamy, those supplies could help us get through the coming winter. Plus, I could really use any medical supplies they may have, especially if we do get attacked."

Clarke looked annoyed with him. Not that he could blame her considering yesterday and their history. He hated to admit it but she was right about needing those supplies. The camp was barely able to get by with what they had. They'd never survive a full-blown attack.

"Bellamy?"

He couldn't give into her that easily though, not with everyone around watching them. He couldn't appear to be weak, especially now. So he did something that he knew would piss her off. He just hoped that he could repair it later.

He clenched his fists by his sides and said the one word that ruin all the progress they'd made yesterday...

"No."

 

* * *

 

 

**(CLARKE)**

Every. Damn. Time.

Bellamy had to have his way every damn time. Why did he have to argue with everything she said? She thought for a moment about punching him in his smug face.

After everything that happened yesterday, it felt like they had reached a turning point. That they could trust and rely on one another. That maybe they could be...No! She wouldn't even go there. He obviously had just manipulated her to make her look weak to the others yesterday. He must have known there would onlookers at the gate.

Clarke turned her back to Bellamy and walked off towards the drop ship. She heard him call after her but she ignored him. She was good at doing that by now.

She hesitated outside the door, not wanting to face Finn right now either. He would look at her like he'd give anything for Raven to not have arrived. But she had. Finn was Raven's. Not Clarke's.

After taking a deep breath, she put a smile on her face and walked in. Raven had been keeping an eye out on him during the night so Clarke only need to check his temperature and vitals. Finn appeared to be recovering well but she was worried about infection. The weren't exactly in the most sterile environment.

Raven left to go fix the wire that she had pulled off during yesterday's interrogation. She paused before leaving and looked between Clarke and Finn. She gave him a quick kiss and whispered that she loved him before finally leaving the two alone together.

It was a few moments before Finn finally spoke up.

"Clarke..." he paused as if unsure how to continue. He was giving her THAT look. The one that made it so hard to be strong.

"Don't, Finn. It's over. You have Raven and she needs you."

"Yeah but maybe I need you."

God, he looked so determined and fierce when he said those words. She could feel her heart breaking all over again. No, she would end this once and for all.

"What you need is to work this out with her. You have history with Raven. You love her and she loves you. She doesn't deserve this and you know that."

He leaned back on the table and stared at the ceiling. She could tell that he accepted that she wasn't going to budge on the subject. However, he still had one punch left to pull.

He spoke softly but she heard him.

"I think I'm falling for you Clarke"

Unfortunately, she was not the only one that heard. Bellmay had chosen just that moment to walk in and boy, did he look pissed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I figured that was a good stopping point for this chapter. I really felt that I needed to try to move towards resolving the Finn/Clarke relationship before I could have her move on to Bellamy. Plus this was an EXCELLENT opportunity for Bellamy to show his jealous side. I hope you enjoyed it and that you will come along for the ride. I have a feeling it's going to be a slow burn and slightly bumpy at first but well worth it in the end! Thanks everyone for kudos! It keeps me motivated to push out chapters faster! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**(BELLAMY)**

He couldn't believe it. Spacewalker just told Clarke that he loved her. The same girl whose heart he broke just days ago when he conveniently forgot to mention his GIRLFRIEND that he still had back on the Ark.

Bellamy had felt guilty about the way he treated her a few minutes ago and wanted to explain in private. They needed to present themselves in a certain way to the rest of the Hundred. People looked to them as leaders and neither could afford to look weak right now. Not with everyone scared about the Grounders might attack.

After their big showdown, he finally managed to get the onlookers back on task as they still had a lot of leftover storm damage to clean up. He tried to be quick about it so he could catch up to her before she had a chance to get too upset with him.

He would have blown everyone off if he knew what that little weasel Finn was up to.

He couldn't understand why Clarke had even went for him. This guy was no good for her. He was a follower, just like the rest of them. Clarke was the Brave Princess. If Bellamy pulled something like that, Clarke would've call him an asshole or decked him. Yet, with Finn, she just stood silent, looking at him like she'd been knocked sideways.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.

 

* * *

 

**(CLARKE)**

She didn't understand Bellamy at all. One minute he was kind and understanding and the next he was angry and bossy. What she really didn't understand why he was so upset with Finn though, especially as he made it clear that their moment yesterday didn't mean anything to him.

Either way, she could clearly tell he was pissed by the death stare he was giving Finn. It used to be that she was the recipient of that particular look. Huh. How times have changed based on a single day.

Finn sat up slightly and gave Bellamy a confused look. "What the hell is your problem? This is none of your business"

"Don't you already have someone waiting in the wings Spacewalker? Leave Clarke alone."

"This is between me and her. Don't you have someone to go order around or beat the crap out of?"

Bellamy ignored him and walked over to her instead. He kept coming at her slowly so she started to back her up. Only when she finally bumped against the wall of the drop ship did he stop as if that had been his intent all along. He placed his hands on either side of her head, palms against the wall, effectively trapping her. He bent his head down close to hers and she felt his breath across her face. Her heart start racing at his nearness and vaguely she heard Finn's exclamation in the background.

She felt confused when he was this close. Here, stuck in this room with these two males that seemed to have become so important in her life, it reminded her of her dream. Of having to chose and hesitating on something she thought she was so sure of.

He didn't say anything for a moment, just stared into her eyes. She thought she saw his glaze dip lower to her lips but he didn't move towards them. She wasn't the only one that seemed to be hesitating.

There was a part of her rooting for him to kiss her; that wanted to see what all the other girls seemed to be enjoying. However, she wouldn't make the first move. Not after the way he treated her this morning. Yet, despite the fact that he wasn't even touching her...she felt possessed. Claimed. Marked.

Finally he spoke but the words weren't what she had been expecting.

"Princess, get your shit together. We're leaving in 10."

"Wh...what?"

 

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He smirked at her reaction. He loved the look of shock of her face and knew that he had her attention now instead of Spacewalker. Bellamy wasn't too proud to admit that it did his ego some good. He wanted to mark Clarke as his but since he couldn't do that yet, he at least wanted to make sure that Finn knew that she was moving on.

He didn't know where this new fascination with her came from but it was there all the same. Maybe it was that first day when she stood up to him. Or when he called her a Brave Princess. It could've been when she was able to do what he couldn't and help Atom.

Either way, Clarke had found a way under his skin and he wanted...no...needed, to find out what they could have together.

He knew what he had to do the moment he overheard Finn's declaration of love. He had to get Clarke alone, away from Spacewalker and the camp. And thankfully, he had just the thing to do it.

"What's the matter Princess? I thought you wanted to go get those supplies?"

"I do but I didn't you realize you meant to send us" she moved her finger to him and then herself.

He shrugged, trying to play it cool. "We make a good team. You know how to find the location and I'll have your back"

There was a strangled sound in the background coming from Finn's direction but he ignored it. It didn't matter what that boy thought. It only mattered if Clarke trusted him to watch her back.

She looked into his eyes, searching for what, he didn't know. Whatever it was, she must have found it because she gave a small nod.

"Am I interrupting something Bells?"

_Shit._

 

* * *

  **(CLARKE)**

She froze at the sound of Octavia's voice. She knew how this looked to Finn as she had a feeling it was Bellamy's reason behind his out of character behaviour. She could only imagine how this looked to Bellamy's sister though.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bellamy finally pulled back from her and turned towards his sister.

"Actually yes, you are. But Clarke and I can finish this later" he gave Finn a look when he said this, like he was trying to tell him something with those words. Something that Clarke wasn't grasping but Octavia did given her wide-eyed look bouncing back and forth.

He left with Octavia just then, the two of them arguing about the Grounder and what was going to happen to him. Apparently they had patched their relationship up enough to talk to one another again.

Clarke turned her eyes to Finn and saw that his jaw was clenched as were his fists. She had no words for him nor could she even attempt to explain what just happened when she wasn't sure herself.

It was almost as if Bellamy was...jealous. Of Finn.

She seriously needed her head checked if she thought that Bellamy was implying anything of the sort, specifically in regards to her. One moment in the woods did not a love affair make.

Shaking her head and left to go find Raven upstairs. She made no mention of her conversation with Finn, merely told her that she would be gone for a few days and to keep an eye out for infection. She escaped the ship before either Raven got suspicious or Finn could make any more heartfelt admissions.

She was almost to her tent when Octavia stepped into her path. She had a strange expression on her face, one that Clarke couldn't decipher.

"So Clarke, what exactly is going on between you and my brother?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I really struggled with this chapter but I hope I pulled it off to my reader's satisfaction. I wanted to convey the confusion that Clarke was feeling about moving onto Bellamy from Finn. And that Bellamy wanted more from her but he's struggling between being the leader needed vs getting what he wants. They are both walking such a fine line. Anyways, I would love it if you would leave me a comment and tell me how I did. And if you felt that Bellamy didn't show enough jealousy this chapter...don't worry. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for later! :D


	4. Chapter 4

 

**(CLARKE)**

She felt a blush creep into her cheeks at Octavia's question. Nothing exactly had happened between her and Bellamy. They barely had touched!

Yet every glance from him felt like a touch.

Almost like he was slowly claiming her in the most sutble way. At least that's how she felt when he gave her that intense look of his. Like she was his and his alone. That Finn didn't even exist.

"I don't know what you mean. We're just...". Friends didn't seem like the right word and they certainly hadn't done anything to warrant something more."...partners" she finished lamely. She knew she didn't sound connvincing, especially with the full-on blush she was sporting but it was the best that she could come up with.

"Uh huh" Octavia seemed skeptical at her answer.

"I don't know what you think you saw back there but Bellamy was just...he was trying to...", she paused, not quite sure WHAT he had been doing exactly. Yet she knew she had to say something or his sister wouldn't let it go but nothing came to mind.

"Marking his territory for Finn's benefit...and your's." Octavia finished for her. Not even making it a question. She stated it like it was a known fact.

"What? No! It's not like that."

Bellamy's sister raised an eyebrow at her. Gave her look as if to say that she didn't think Clarke was that stupid.

"Seriously Octavia! You're seeing something that's not there. He has girls coming and going from his tent all the time. He's not interested in me like that."

"You forgot the part that you weren't interested in him either" Octavia smirked. It was the same smirk that her brother often wore. It was like a Blake trademark or something.

Clarke took sharp intake of breath when she realized that she HADN'T said that. It should have been the first thing she thought of. God, what was happening to her? Was she actually interested in Bellamy Blake? The guy that had been nothing but a headache for her since they arrived?

She tried to cover her tracks as quickly as possible. "I didn't say it because it should be obvious."

"Hmmmm. Well then, it wouldn't interest you to know that he hasn't had a girl in his tent for a few days now...right?"

With that bombshell dropped, Octavia walked off; chuckling at the expression on Clarke's face.

She didn't know what to do with that tidbit of information. Though, she did wish that the siblings were still not talking to each other so they would stop messing with her head.

Clarke turned and went to pack for her trip. She had bigger issues to worry about. Like not making a fool of herself in front of the entire camp with her sudden obsession with their Rebel Leader.

 

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Dealing with his sister was a pain. If she wasn't hounding him about that freaking Grounder then she was butting her head into his business.

She had interrupted his conversation with Clarke when he had been trying to make a point but away from prying eyes. Octavia was like a bloodhound, hounding away at him for information till she got what she wanted out of him. Not everything but enough for her to put the pieces together in regards to Clarke and about how he was feeling towards her.

Bellamy put their conversation out of his mind and went to gather some supplies for their trek into unknown territory. He was feeling unsure about his decision but he couldn't go back on what he said. And the reasons were still valid.

Get Clarke away from Spacewalker. Check. Get much needed supplies. Check.

He gathered a few of his most trusted people and told them the plan. That he and Clarke were going on a scavenging mission and that Monroe was in charge while they were gone. He laid out a few ground rules, especially about keeping everyone close to camp and not letting his sister near the prisoner.

One of the more outspoken kids was whispering to his friend about Clarke having an "accident" on their trip and Bellamy gave him a warning look. The boy wasn't paying attention and continued on that that the royal bitch has it coming. Bellamy couldn't hold back after that and he punched the kid in the face sending him flat on his back.

"No one talks about her like that. I...we...need her; certainly more than we need you. Got it?" he glared down at the boy.

The group all gaped at him, not understanding, but no one said a word. He gave each of them a final look before turning to the gate to wait for Clarke.

Bellamy knew that he had revealed too much but he couldn't stand to listen to them talking about her like that. It only reminded him how far he still had to go to earn a place in her life and heart. Yet, he knew he needed to keep status quo for the sake of the camp.

He was so screwed.

 

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She met up with Bellamy at the gate and neither said a word, both consumed in their thoughts. Clarke didn't know what he was thinking but she noticed him rubbing at his hand and flexing it several times yet she couldn't, wouldn't, ask him about it.

She was afraid of the answer. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

They spent the rest of the day in silence. It should have been awkward but strangely it wasn't. She knew what he wanted without him having to say it. When to stop for a break and when to continue on.

There was a moment when she tripped over a branch and stumbled. She thought for sure she was going to fall but Bellamy was there to catch her in mere seconds. He had his hands on her arms, holding her steady. It brought her body flush against his and all she could do was stare at him.

Clarke had never felt so safe then she did at that moment.

He lifted a hand towards her face and moved a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. Her breath caught and she bit her lip at the contact. She felt lightheaded and nervous causing her to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"You're not Finn"

Bellamy immediately dropped his hand and stepped away from her. His face hardened into something cold and dark. The mask was back on.

Without saying a word, he turned and continued walking towards their destination.

It came out completely wrong but it was too late. Damage was done. She had only meant that he wasn't like Finn and that she trusted him to be honest with her about whatever was going on between them.

I'm an idiot, was all she could think as she followed behind.

 

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He hadn't known Clarke could hurt him like that. Not till she compared him to Finn and found him lacking.

Didn't she realize that he wouldn't hurt her like that Spacewalker had? That for all their history, he was always upfront with her? Even this morning, when he had purposely pissed her off in front of everyone, he had set off to explain it to her.

Bellamy hadn't hid the girls that he had slept with at camp from her. While he was not proud of it, it was from before he had started to care for her. Since the night that Octavia had disappeared, he hadn't touched any of them.

He had thought that she was finally coming around to him. That they were becoming more...more than just mutual leaders.

That maybe for once in his life, he could be someone's knight in shining armor. That he could be the good guy. But maybe it was too late for that. Maybe it was better that they stopped before they started.

He had failed Octavia and she was put in jail for the last few years.

He had failed his mother and she was floated.

He had failed all those people on the Ark and they died for his mistake.

He would probably just fail Clarke too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm not going to lie. Writing that last part was really hard for me emotionally. I really feel for Bellamy. I think all his decisions and mistakes weigh heavily on him and that he's hurting. He's like a lost little boy, taking his hurt and turning it to anger, striking back at everyone and everything. But he still yearns for all the things that he doesn't think he deserves. Oh god...I have to stop before I lose it. Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode 1x08 worked so freaking well for parts of my story though I did have to edit/cut some of the conversations from the show so that I could work it into the chapter. Please don't hate me for it! Most of this was already in the episode but I expanded upon it and added a few extra bits. Hopefully the last part makes it worth it! Next chapter will be mostly original work instead of using the episode but I needed to merge the TV show and my story...at least for the time being!
> 
> As always, please please please leave kudos and comments!

 

**(CLARKE)**

She had seriously fucked up.

They were finally getting somewhere and she had to ruin it with her big mouth. She wished she could go back and change it but it was too late for that. She had to fix this. Even if she messeds thing up for the two of them, her heart hurt at that thought, they still had to work together.

Clarke ran up to him. "Bellamy, wait"

He ignored her and kept walking; he wouldn't even look at her.

"Please, Bellamy. I'm sorry. That came out wrong."

"It's fine Princess. You made your point." He sounded so cold and distant. She had done this to him and it was breaking her heart.

All the while, Bellamy just kept on walking.

A few hours later, they finally arrived at the FEMA base and Clarke decided that she needed to try a different approach. One that practically guaranteed a reaction from him.

"You know, the first drop ship is going to come down soon. Pretty sure you can't avoid Jaha forever."

"I can try."

"Maybe he'll be leinant" she gave him an imploring look. She wanted to give him hope again. He just seemed so angry and lost whenever the subject of what happened with Jaha came up.

"Look, I shot the man Clarke. He's not going to just forgive and forget." He scowled at her, obviously upset that she would't let this go. "Let's just split up. Cover more ground. Stay within shouting distance"

He walked off.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It took awhile but they finally managed to locate the door to the bunker. Once inside, they quickly realized that it was mostly a fool's errand. The place was decimated and most of the supplies were either gone or destroyed by time.

That is until he found the guns.

"Oh my god. This changes everything."

"What is it?"

It was enough of a turn of good luck that Bellamy couldn't help but grin when he showed Clarke. They would be safe. She would be safe.

"Ready to be a badass Clarke?"

She rolled her eyes but agreed to let him teach her.

They spent the next several minutes going over how to handle the gun, including loading and firing. He went over it several times so that he was sure she understood. If something were to ever happen and Clarke feared for her life, then at least she could defend herself.

There was a moment when he was first showing her how to hold the gun that he had to touch Clarke to position her correctly. He stepped close behind her and his hand trembled ever so slightly on her back as he moved her shoulder.

Touching her again felt wonderful but Clarke didn't want to be touched by him. She wanted the Spacewalker. She had told him that.

He shook his head in confusion and stepped back.

"I need some air."

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke already missed the feel of his hand on her. It almost felt like before, back in the woods. Before she messed up. But then he stood back and left her.

She spent the next several minutes packing up supplies that they could carry back in camp.

While searching, she came across an unused notepad and she grabbed it. She made a quick list of the supplies that were still salvagable using one of the pencils that Finn had found for her in the bunker.

Pausing when she had pulled the pencil out, she felt a brief pang in her chest. She was sad that she had lost him to Raven but she mostly because she felt that she had lost a friend too.

It had only been a few minutes when she heard a shuffle from outside. Concerned about Bellamy, she stepped outsid a got the shock of her life.

Bellamy was on the ground and One of the Hundred had his gun on him, looking ready to shot.

She quickly got behind the boy and aimed her sights on him.

"Put it down Dex."

She trained her gun on him like Bellamy had taught her. She would kill to protect him but she didn't want to shoot Dex either.

"You should've stayed down there Clarke. I tried not to kill you. Walk away now and I won't have to."

She would never consider leaving Bellamy to die, even to save her own life. "Put. It. Down"

"Your choice."

Clarke could tell he was going to shoot her so she took the shot but the gun misfired. She leapt for the tree and only just managed to take cover behind it before Dex shot at her.

She knew this wasn't going to end well.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Only seconds ago, he was willing to die. For the crime he had commited; for the lives lost due to his selfish actions. But the moment Dex turned the gun on Clarke, he knew he had to live. To protect Clarke.

He may deserve to die but Clarke didn't. She was the innocent.

"No!" he screamed as he tackled Dex. The force of his body pushed the other boy down and they grappled with one another on the ground, each throwing punches at whatever body part they could reach.

Dax managed to get the uphand on him and punched him in the face with the butt of the gun. He then started to choke Bellamy, using the gun as leverage against his windpipe.

Bellamy felt himself losing consiousness but struggled against it. He needed to save Clarke and he couldn't do that if he was knocked out or dead. He felt dizzy from lack of oxygen and the lack of air but still he fought.

"Get the hell off him" he vaguely heard her shot before he saw Clarke come out from behind the tree and attack Dax.

Dax turned and kicked her in the ribs and she flew back, almost hitting a tree.

Bellamy knew that if he didn't act soon, they would both perish. He felt for the bullet on the grab and stabbed his attacker in the throat.

He crawled over to Clarke to make sure she was okay. She was leaning against the tree, breathing hard but she was okay.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke watched as Bellamy came and sat beside her at the foot of the tree. They were alive and for that she was thankful.

However, she saw the lost boy look in his eyes and she was scared for what it meant.

"You're okay." she told him. trying to comfort him.

"No, I'm not." he shook his head, staring hard at the ground.

"My mother, if she knew what I'd done. Who I am...She raised me to be better. To be good."

"Bellamy..."

"And all I do is hurt people. I'm a monster." he continued on as if he hadn't heard her. She could hear him sniffling back the tears as he spoke.

"Hey. You saved my life today. And you may be a total ass half the time," At that, Bellamy finally looked up at her and she pleaded with him, "but...I need you. We all need you."

His eyes widened slightly at her claim of needing him. Clarke felt like they were finally getting all the cards out on the table between them. No more misunderstandings.

Feeling confident, she gently laid both a hand on his cheek. She tilted her head and while holding his eyes to hers, lowered her lips to his. She closed her eyes at the first touch of his lips on hers.

Bellamy didn't respond at first and she started to pull away, fearful that she had made a mistake. That she had somehow misread the situation. Suddenly, Bellamy wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer. His arm was locked around her and she couldn't get away even if she wanted to.

Which she didn't.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He was in shock. Not only was Clarke defending him but she told him that she needed him. Him and not Spacewalker.

When she started to pull away, he realized that he hadn't moved. He grabbed her and held her close to him. Not wanting to lose this moment. He felt her gasp at the sudden movement and took advantage of her open mouth, sliding his tongue in.

He used his arm to gently pull her into his lap and continued to tease her tongue with his. Finally after a minute, Clarke pulled away her mouth from his.

Bellamy was pleased to note that she was breathing heavy and her eyes where filed with lust. He tried to follow her mouth with another kiss but she held her hand up between them, stopping him.

She gave him a determind look and he knew that their previous conversation wasn't over just yet, "Bellamy, none of us would have survived this place if it wasn't for you."

He started to glance away again so she grabbed his chin gently and turned him back towards her. If she hadn't been sitting on lap, he would've gotten up and walked away to avoid continuing this discussion.

"You want forgiveness? Fine, I'll give it to you. You're forgiven, okay? But you can't run from this Bellamy. You have to face Jaha."

"Like you faced your mom?" he pushed back at her.

This time she was the one to look away briefly and he immediately felt awful about lashing out at her, knowing what he did about her situation.

"You're right. I don't want to face my mom. I don't want to face any of it. All I think about every day is how we're going to keep everyone alive. But we don't have a choice."

"Jaha will kill me when he comes down" he looked at her pleadingly.

"We'll figure something out."

He gave small chuckle at her stubborn look on her face and leaned his head against the tree, "Can we figure it out later?"

"Whenever you're ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I threw in a kiss there. Figured you readers had been more than patient with me. Don't expect it every chapter though otherwise you'll get bored with me! LOL. Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I thought briefly about being evil and making the kiss part of a hallucination but I couldn't do that to my wonderful fans! I was feeling in such a good mood that I wrote what I think (pray) is an awesome scene between the two of them.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains a sex scene. If you are not comfortable with this, please stop reading after Bellamy's first POV. You have been warned!

 

**(CLARKE)**

Her pillow was oddly warm beneath her cheek when she awoke. It took Clarke a moment to realize that it was moving slightly up and down as well. These odd circumstances were enough to cause her some alarm and raise her head to check her surroundings.

She smiled to herself when saw that she was curled up to Bellamy. Her head had been resting on his chest with one of her hands laced with his, laying above where his heart was. It was almost symbolic. Their legs were entangled together and he had one of his arms wrapped around her, holding her close to him.

Looking down at Bellamy, she thought he looked truly peaceful for the first time since they landed.

Clarke slowly slipped out of his hold as to not wake him; he had had a difficult night and could use the rest. Just as she managed to extract herself, Bellamy turned in his sleep, his hand reaching out to where she had been. It was as if to reach for her before his hand fell to the side.

For the first time in days, she felt the need to draw as she watched him sleeping. She knew that not a lot of people got to see this vulnerable side of Bellamy and she wanted to capture it to look back on when he was being a pain in her ass.

His dark curly hair was matted against his forehead and his freckles stood out against the pale morning light. He looked so beautiful in his innocence yet still so desirable. It was the contradiction that was Bellamy.

She searched around in her for the sketchpad and pencil that she had packed at the last minute then spent the next few minutes capturing Bellamy's sleeping form.

She wanted to record him as he was in this second; afraid of what was next for them when they returned back to back. They hadn't spoken last night after they buried Dex's body. They didn't talk about what he said to her in a moment of weakness or the fact that they had kissed.

But when they rested for the night, Bellamy had pulled her close and kissed her forehead ever so gently, and she felt at peace.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy had the worst headache and he winced when he touched his face. The events of the night came rushing back and he quickly sat up, looking around for Clarke.

He spotted her a few feet away, scribbling away in some notebook. He watched her until she lifted her eyes, looking right at him. She blushed and he wondered what he had caught her at that had caused such a reaction.

Bellamy grinned at her and moved to grab the pad from her but she shoved it into her bag before he could take it.

"Don't worry Princess, I'll just get it from you later" he chuckled when she threw him a glare.

She rolled her eyes and threw the meat that she must've saved for him. He caught it in the air and took a big bite.

"Thanks Clarke. I was hungry. How kind of you to feed me."

"Shut up Bellamy. We need to get moving already."

Bellamy enjoyed watching her as she looked everywhere but at him. Apparently someone was feeling awkward the next day.

They were running later than they had anticipated and knew they needed to get back to camp so they started to make their way back. He didn't want Octavia to worry about him.

Bellamy grabbed Clarke's hand and laced his fingers through hers. She peered out of the corner of her eyes at him but didn't say a word nor did she remove her hand.

"Stop worrying Princess."

"What? I didn't say anything."

He chuckled. "Didn't need to. It's written all over your face."

"Dex tried to kill you Bellamy. Of course I'm worried. We need to talk to Jaha and get you pardoned. Maybe then you'll be safe."

Bellamy stopped, stunned at how determined Clarke was to save him. He never had someone want to protect him before. He was always the protector.

Clarke stopped and gave him a quizzical look, probably wondering why he stopped. He couldn't stop himself from what he did next, the urge was too strong.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She was still feeling embarrassed and off-kilter from when Bellamy had caught her sketching him. Clarke prayed he'd forget about it and not keep his promise of finding it later.

They were talking about Jaha and the attempt on his life when suddenly he stopped, his hand in hers forcing her to stop as well. The next thing she knew, he had his hand wrapped in her hair and he was kissing her like a man driven.

It was a bruising kiss, one filled with such passion that she felt overwhelmed. Bellamy took her lips over and over again, sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth. Teasing her. Taunting her. They simultaneously let go of their packs which fell limply from their shoulders to the ground. He used the distraction to push Clarke against the back of the closest tree.

She felt the bark bite into her back but she didn't care. She felt too good. Bellamy was running his free hand up her side, settling on her hip. He slowly pushed up the edge of her shirt to touch her bare skin and she shivered with the sensation. She could've stopped him at any time but she saw no reason to, not when he was giving her everything she wanted.

All the while, he was gently nibbling on her lip and moving down to her neck. He gave a sensual lick over her pulse point and she panted with need.

She moaned, "Bellamy..."

He pulled back and looked down at her, desire filling his face. She licked her lips and his eyes tracked the motion.

"Yes, Princess? Did you want something?" he replied back at her huskily, giving her his trademark smirk.

His body was nudged in-between her legs and she could feel his erection against her stomach. She knew he wanted her but that he was holding back. He wanted her to surrender to him but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She was stronger than that so refused to answer him, just held his gaze.

That is until he aligned himself with her center and started to slowly grind against her. She wrapped a leg around his to pull him closer and felt the pleasure pool between her legs. Clarke knew she needed release that only he could give her.

"Come on Clarke, use those fancy words of yours and tell me what you want." he stilled and she almost cried out in despair. She bit her tongue to stop herself and he continued, "Unless you don't want this. Then we'll stop here and now."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He held his breath as he waited for her response. Bellamy might just die if she wanted to stop but he would. He would never force anything on her. He wanted her to give into him willingly.

"Bellamy…,"she paused and he thought it was over, but then she said the words that made his day, "Please fuck me."

He grinned. She was giving herself to him in the most intimate way possible.

"Whatever you want Princess, whatever you want."

He moved his hand on her hip to the edge of her jacket and pushed it off her shoulders then proceeded to remove her shirt. No sooner had he removed her shirt then she was attacking his, pushing it up and over his head. He moved his hand to her back, stroking her skin as he went and unsnapped her bra. Clarke yanked it off and threw it to the ground where the rest of their clothes were piling up.

Bellamy reached down and took one of her nipples into his mouth. He licked and sucked lightly on it, his teeth gently grazing it. Clarke ran her fingers through his hair and tugged him back after a minute.

"Enough games Bellamy."

"So impatient" he tsked at her, enjoying her eagerness.

With that, he reached down and unbuttoned her pants. Clarke helped him push them down to her feet and kicked them off. Bellamy ran a finger along the edge of her panties before slipping his finger underneath. She inhaled sharply when he reached her moist center and started to tease her, gently moving his fingertip back and forth.

"I'm serious Bellamy. Stop fucking teasing me."

"I love it when you get angry Clarke. So go right on ahead and keep yelling at me. It just makes me all that much harder for you."

He laughed when she threw a few more cuss words at him then kissed her hard. He had never so much fun as he did with Clarke.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She was tired of waiting; she ached for him inside of her. Deciding that, she went about taking control back from him.

Clarke reached down between their bodies and started to unbuttoned his pants. Before he could stop her, she shoved them and his boxers, down his legs. She grabbed ahold of his length and he shuddered when she started to stroke him.

"Little minx. That's not playing fair at all." he groaned.

Clarke laughed at him. "All's fair in love and war babe."

Bellamy apparently decided that playtime was over as he yanked off her underwear, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, holding him to her as he held her against the tree.

He rubbed himself along her slit before slowly pushing inside. It was like heaven. Bellamy stilled when he was completely in and looked at her, holding her with his eyes. He had such an intense fierce look that she couldn't decipher but it made her heart beat faster. Bellamy slowly started to move in and out, never once taking his eyes from hers.

Neither looked away and time stood still as he started to move in time with her. After several minutes of this intense connection between them, she felt her body start to quiver. Her inner muscles clamped down on him and she faintly heard Bellamy groan with lust.

"You're killing me here Clarke" he whispered in her ear.

She couldn't answer him as she was lost in the sense of impending explosion. Her back arched and she dug her nails into Bellamy's back as she came around him. She was just starting to come down from her peak when he started to buck harder into her, causing to come again in surprise. Bellamy gave one final push and he buried his head into her neck. He bit down on her shoulder where it met her neck and gave a hard suck on her skin.

They didn't move for several minutes until she felt Bellamy's body shaking slightly with the strain of holding them both up. She lowered her legs to the ground and leaned back against the tree.

She thought she should be embarrassed about their state of undress but she didn't. She felt comfortable with him like this. She glanced up at his face to ensure herself that he wasn't regretting what happened.

He was already looking down at her with a tender expression and she smiled.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He loved her smile, especially knowing that he was the cause of it. He glanced over at the hickey forming on her shoulder and he knew she'd be pissed about that later. But for now, he enjoyed seeing a mark of himself on her. It would warn off other males in camp when they saw it. No one messed with what was Bellamy's.

He recognized that it was very caveman of him to think so but then he figured they were even as he was also glad for her scratch marks on his back to mark him in return.

She was his and he was hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be gentle my friends when commenting on this! Remember that this is my first fanfic as well as my first sex scene to ever write so I hope I did okay. I wrote more than I usually did but I wanted to give this my best shot. Now, I'll just sit here and bite my nails while I wait for the comments to come in….


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thank you everyone for sticking with me thus far. I WAS half-tempted to leave the story where it was at after last chapter but as always, I got such great feedback that I decided that I wasn't going to after all. And, I didn't switch POV this chapter as much as I usually do because I didn't think it was necessary. I felt that only the one switch that I did was at the right moment and got the reader as much insight as they needed to progress the story.

 

**(BELLAMY)**

He felt pretty happy and satisfied with himself. It was a rare feeling for him so he was admittedly basking in it for the time being. He had just had sex with Clarke and it was the best he'd ever had. Bellamy had a feeling it was because of who he was with that made the difference.

After it was over, they got dressed quickly and took off back to camp. Neither one talked but every once awhile they would glance over at the other and smile.

He smirked when he saw his mark on her just at the edge of her shirt. When she moved, he could see part of it but it was hidden the rest of the time.

The day went on and he found that he was stuck on the hidden nature of it. There but not there. Soon it was all he could think about. He frowned as he realized why.

"Wait, Clarke." He stopped and started shifting on his feet back and forth.

She stopped and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. They were almost back so she must be wondering why he was delaying them even more.

"We need to talk….about…what happened. You know. With us."

"Are you fucking kidding me Bellamy? Barely a day and you're already having regrets?" she looked pissed. She stomped off before he got out another word.

He ran after her and pulled her to a stop. He used his strength to hold her in place when she tried to break his hold.

"Did I say that I regretted it? Because I don't. Not one minute of it."

"Then what's there to talk about?"

"We can't tell anyone at camp about us."

The look that appeared on her face was a cross of hurt and anger. He hated that he was the one to put that look on her. This conversation wasn't going as planned. It was like train wreck that he didn't know how to stop.

Clarke crossed her arms across her chest and he recognized that she was going into defensive mode. He had hurt her by wanting to hide what happened between them. Like he was ashamed of it or her. But that wasn't the case at all.

They needed to present a united and strong leadership to the Hundred. They couldn't appear to look weakened by affection, especially towards each other. He could think of several individuals whom would love to take control from them, possibly including the boy that he punched the day before.

Right now, he was feared and Clarke was respected by almost everyone in camp. But if they acted differently than they had been, that could all change in an instant. He couldn't let that happen.

"I'm not saying that we can't…."he trailed off, unsure of what they were but he didn't know how to continue either.

"Can't what? Fuck around? But only so long as no one knows about it?" she gave him a disgusted look at that implication.

"God, Clarke? Is that really what you think? That's NOT what I meant!"

"Fine. Then what did you mean?"

"I meant that we could still be together and just the sex part. I like you Princess." He trailed a finger down her cheek down her neck to his bite. The bite that set the ball rolling for this discussion.

"Then why all the secrecy?"

"We need to keep it quiet because there are plenty of people that would love to use this against us. We can't afford for someone else, someone like Murphy for example, to be in control."

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She hated that he made sense. She hated it even more that they had to hide their feelings for each other. Clarke didn't think it would be as easy as he made it sound though but she would make the effort.

She jerkily nodded her assent and tugged out of his arms. He seemed reluctant to let her go but he did.

"Clarke, you have to know that I don't want to do this either. I would love to tell everyone, especially Spacewalker, about us." His face clouded over when he mentioned Finn and she saw him clenching his fists. "I don't want him thinking he has a chance with you."

"It's fine Bellamy. I get it. I just don't like it."

Clarke reached up on the balls of her feet and lightly pressed a kiss to his lips. He let out a breath like he'd been holding it in since they started this talk. He pulled her close and hugged her to him for several minutes. She wrapped her arms around him and just enjoyed the moment.

Who knew when they would get a chance to do even this much?

Finally, reluctantly, they let go of each other and finished the walk back to camp.

When they arrived, there was chaos everyone and Clarke knew in that moment, that Bellamy had been right. There were gone for 2 days and everything had fallen apart.

The entire camp had eaten some type of hallucinogenic nuts and the Grounder had gotten free. She had a feeling that he had some help in that area from Octavia and that Bellamy suspected as much from the look on his face. She knew that he had asked but that he didn't expect an honest answer.

They then set about showing the guns to everyone, with strong disapproval practically radiating from Finn, whom was ignored by most. Deciding to get it over with, Bellamy and Clarke sat down with Chancellor Jaha and forced him into giving Bellamy a pardon.

Clarke knew what she had to do next but she had been putting it off for as long as she could. She felt Bellamy's eyes watching her as she went to Finn's tent but refused to look at him. She peeked in to make sure he was alone as things with Raven were so uncomfortable that it was hard for her to do her work when she was around.

"I need to check this." She knelt down beside Finn's makeshift bed to examine his wound. She pulled back the bandage and did a visual check for infection.

"Guns? Really?" he had an incredulous expression.

"With the Grounder escaping we have to expect retaliation. We have to be prepared." They needed to protect themselves. They'd already lost so many in such a short time.

"Yeah, our ancestors wanted to be prepared too. so they built bombs."

"Rifles are not the same as nukes." she rolled her eyes at his exaggeration.

In Bellamy's hands they are. Clarke, come on." he gave her a pleading look as expecting her to agree with him. "You can't predict what he's gonna do."

"There's no perfect answer Finn." She was quickly getting frustrated with Finn and his prejudice against Bellamy.

"The Grounder saved Octavia's life and Bellamy brought him back here and tortured him."

"Yeah but if he hadn't brought him back, you'd be dead." She didn't understand why Finn was so against Bellamy. He was part of the reason Finn was still alive.

Finn sat up almost as if to reach for her, "I know!"

"I trust him!" It had slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Finn sat shocked silence and didn't speak for a minute. "You can't be serious."

So many emotions seem to pass across his face in that mere fraction of a second.

"I am."

She saw him swallow and look away briefly from her.

"Clarke...You and Bellamy are leading us down a dangerous road. I wish you had talked to me about it first."

"I wished you had talked to me about a lot of things...but you didn't."

As much as she was wanted to be with Bellamy, a part of her still cared for Finn and had been deeply hurt by what he had done.

He looked about to respond when Raven came into the tent. She stopped short at the sight of Clarke, then looked back and forth between the two. Finn looked upset at the interruption but just laid back down with a sigh. Feeling the awkward tension, Clarke escaped the tent without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have some plans for where I want to go with this story but it's gonna take awhile to get there. Hopefully at the pace that I put out chapters you'll stick around for all of it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously love writing this story. It started out as something that I wanted to try and was afraid that I wouldn't be that good or liked (there are some seriously good writers here), but you readers have been freaking amazing to me! Hope you like this newest chapter!

 

**(BELLAMY)**

It burned him to think of Clarke and Finn alone together. He had watched her the entire way while she had walked to Finn's tent. He knew that Raven was still outside with the rest when she did so he moved closer to the tent. Whether it was because he couldn't help himself or to be close at hand if Raven tried anything when she realized the two were alone, he didn't know.

Thankfully, Clarke was only in there for a few moments before Raven arrived. It was almost as if she had a sixth sense when her boyfriend was up to no good. Bellamy smirked; glad someone else was keeping an eye on those two.

When Clarke steeped out, he saw her zero in on him and then narrow her eyes at how close he was to the tent. He knew that she realized he had purposefully moved at this spot but he just shrugged.

She turned to go, looking more than a little pissed at him. He followed.

"Hey Princess" he made himself sound relaxed, despite the inferno of jealousy raging in him.

She glanced his way but didn't say anything.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Clarke, it's not that I don't trust you. I do. It's HIM that I don't trust. He looks at you as if he'd give anything to have you. Despite his girlfriend."

If Bellamy didn't need to keep their relationship a secret from the Hundred, he would've made it clear to the guy that Clarke was off-limits and to stop with the doe-eyes when he looked at her. He might just do it anyways.

"That's him Bellamy, not me." She kept walking back to her tent.

"I know that. It's just driving me crazy that he looks at you like that." Bellamy couldn't stop the anguish that slipped into his voice.

At that she finally stopped. Clarke had a conflicted look on her face and her gaze swept the area. Seeing that they were away from the crowd, she pulled him behind a tent and kissed him. It was a quick kiss, over before it really even had a chance to get started.

But it was enough to ease some of the pressure on his heart.

He laid his forehead against hers, enjoying this stolen minute. All too soon, she pulled away and whispered a goodnight. She went inside her tent, without him, and he made his way to his. All the while wishing things could be different.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke woke with a groan, a beam of sunlight shined through a crack in the tent right onto her face. She had had trouble sleeping the night before but it wasn't nightmares keeping her up this time. It was thoughts of Bellamy. It was of his penetrating brown eyes, disheveled hair and tanned toned body. The way his calloused hands stroked her skin, the way his lips moved against hers, and the way he had been so gentle yet demanding when they had made love in the forest.

Realizing that she was alone in the tent and that the others were already up, she hurried up to get up and outside. She grabbed her rations and ate them quickly as there were several patients already waiting for her when she arrived at the drop ship.

Most were just minor scrapes from reinforcing the wall but she did have to reset a dislocated shoulder on a young boy. He was a good patient and held still while she worked. He never even cried out though she knew it had to hurt. She had the boy fixed up as quickly and painlessly as she could then sent him on his way.

Octavia came by mid-day to assist and learn from Clarke. Bellamy had apparently decided that they needed a handful of people skilled in first aid so that the burden didn't rest solely on Clarke. Octavia didn't wait long before going into attack mode.

"So Clarke…did you have fun on your trip with my brother?"

Immediately, images of a naked Bellamy danced around her head and she had to duck her head to hide the blush. Oh, she had had fun with him alright.

"Uh…umm…it was interesting. Very eventful."

"So I heard." Octavia smirked and Clarke wondered if Bellamy had spilled their secret to his sister.

"Oh?"

"The entire camp is talking about it in fact."

Clarke stilled a moment, fear running rampant as the thought of Bellamy finding out that everyone knew about them. Then she realized that Octavia was sneakier than she gave her credit for. Bellamy wouldn't say anything and she hadn't so his sister was just fishing for information.

"Well, we did find those guns and Dex trying to kill us is pretty exciting news around here."

Clarke watched Octavia frown and she bit her lip to contain her chuckle. It was highly entertaining to watch the pout that Octavia had going on when she realized that Clarke wasn't going to fall for her trap.

The day went by much the same so she was feeling exhausted by the time it was dark and work was called to a halt. She had prepared several bandages out of clothing that was beyond repair and rinsed any that had already been used. There were a few containers of distilled alcohol to use for sterilizing as well as several tools that she found useful. Octavia was a quick learner and would be a great help, especially when she needed an extra set of hands.

When she came out finally and took a quick look around, she was disappointed to realize that Bellamy wasn't anywhere in sight. She hadn't seen him all day and she had missed him. She even missed trading barbs with him.

Clarke decided that it wouldn't look suspicious if she needed to talk to him so she went to his tent. She did a quick check to ensure no one was watching her then ducked in. For a moment she was almost worried that she walk in on him and one of his harem but then she chided herself for thinking like that. Octavia had told her just before they left that he hadn't been with anyone for a while and his sister would know with the crap she gave him about it. Plus he had seemed serious about the two of them being together, even if had to be done in secret.

She sat down on the bed to wait for him.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It was killing him that he didn't get to see Clarke today. Between training several trusted members on how to shoot the newfound rifles and keeping everyone focused on their tasks, he hadn't a spare moment to go to her.

Bellamy finally thought he would get a chance after he did a perimeter check but by the time he returned, she wasn't in the drop ship. She wasn't in her tent. No one had seen her go outside the gates. He almost thought about checking Finn's tent when he found his sister lingering outside, near the fire, looking lost in thought.

"Hey Octavia…where's Clarke? I need to talk to her." He assumed a casual stance, shoving his hands in his pockets to project a sense of disinterest.

"I don't know. She probably went to her tent after we were done for the day. She was looking pretty worn out."

"She not there, I already checked." He was getting worried that she had slipped out to the graves again without an escort.

"Relax Bells. I'm sure she's fine." She paused and seemed to consider her next words carefully, "Did you check with Finn?"

Bellamy clenched his fists at the thought. He didn't like the Spacewalker anywhere near Clarke.

"I hadn't yet but I'm going to."

"Well, it's either that or she sneaked into your tent when no one was looking." Octavia had the most evil grin on her face as if she knew something that she wasn't supposed to.

He gave her an icy glare at the suggestion but hope sprang up in him that maybe that's exactly where his Brave Princess was.

Octavia just shrugged off his glare and walked off, back to her tent.

Deciding to see if by some strange chance his sister was right for a change, Bellamy slipped into his own tent. He smiled at the beautiful sight that greeted him.

Clarke was fast asleep in his bed.

She must have been really tired as she was still fully dressed. She obviously wasn't there to seduce him, though the sight of her alone was enough to do that.

He knew it was dangerous to have her here in his tent but he lived for risk. If they were found, he'd handle it. Those in the camp were intimidated, if not downright scared of him, so he'd get them to keep their mouth shut.

He stripped off all his clothes except his boxes and curled up behind Clarke on the bed, pulling up the animal fur he used as a blanket over both their bodies. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her snug against his chest.

He kissed the bite mark on her neck and whispered, "Mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know there are women that think possessive equals abusive but it doesn't! I'm possessive of my husband and he is of me but we also respect and trust each other. THAT is the type of relationship that I see with Clarke and Bellamy. They know where the line is and wouldn't cross it. I hope that this type of behavior doesn't put anyone off of my story and can understand how I see them through my eyes. As always, I look forward to your comments! They brighten my day and I love hearing what you guys enjoyed about the chapter or what you suspect I might be brewing up in my head! Love ya all!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are times that it's really hard to be original when writing a fanfic. We fangirls are all watching the same show, reading the same fanfics, and sharing the same thoughts on our favorite couple on sites like Tumblr. So ideas that I think up are sometimes written by others before I have a chance to. Knowing that, please understand and appreciate that I try to bring a fresh perspective and voice to the same idea had by others.
> 
> Okay...I'm done rambling now. Enjoy the newest chapter!

 

**(CLARKE)**

It took her a moment to figure out where she was when she awoke the next day. There was a warmth at her back that she was unused to. She peered down and saw an arm across her middle, holding her firmly in place. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed her suspicion. Bellamy.

Clarke had fallen asleep in Bellamy's tent last night and he must have decided to sleep with her instead of waking her. She knew she had to get up and out of there before anyone noticed her absence.

She nudged Bellamy. "Hey...wake up."

He groaned and snuggled deeper against her side. She thought he was still sleeping and that she'd have to get more forceful when she felt the feather-light touch of his lips against her neck.

Clarke tried to wiggle out of his hold but he grabbed her hips to still her.

"I wouldn't do that too much if I were you Princess. Otherwise we'll be spending the next hour in bed."

It took her a second to grasp his meaning but then she realized that he was excited and she was making it worse for him with her movements.

"Then let me go Bellamy. We could get caught at any moment. You're the one that said we needed to keep this between us."

"Relax Clarke, no one is going to come in here without permission. They wouldn't dare." he growled.

"Octavia would."

"Shit. You're right. She would." He finally released her from his hold and Clarke was sad for it. She didn't really want to leave him and his bed.

She was still fully dressed from last night so she got up and walked to the tent door, peeking out. It was still early out and everyone was sleeping. Clarke din't see any of the guards out so she was in the clear.

Glancing back, she had the view of Bellamy laid out on his bed, bare chested and looking sleepily delicious. She hesitated. He was watching her, brown eyes clashing with her green ones.

She came back over and knelt on the bed, leaning over him. She lowered her lips to his and felt him immediately respond. When she felt him reach to pull her against him, she slipped away.

Bellamy frowned at her sudden disappearance and she gave him a wicked grin, waggling her finger back and forth.

"Nuh uh. You agreed that I needed to go."

And with that, she turned to exit his tent. She did another quick check outside then snuck back to her tent.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It was nice having Clarke in his tent and in his bed but he hated the strain of keeping their secret. There were times in the day that he wondered if this could work between them like this. If maybe it would be better to just stop now before things got any more complicated.

Bellamy ran a hand over his face, trying to erase these thoughts from his head.

He wasn't going to give up Clarke. Not unless he was backed into a corner. Though he doubted even that would do it. After living his entire life for Octavia and keeping his family safe, he thought he deserved a little happiness for himself. And right now, happiness equated to Clarke.

it was barely dawn but Bellamy couldn't go back to sleep; not after that maddening kiss from Clarke. So he got up and put his clothes back on. He was pulling on his pants and muttering to himself about evil minxes when Octavia barged into his tent.

Without knocking. Just like Clarke had said she would.

"Whoa. Put some damn clothes on Bellamy" she turned around while he finished buttoning his pants up and pulling his shirt on.

"Geez, O. Learn to knock before entering. What if I had a girl in here?"

"Like one of your harem?"

He shrugged. He hadn't touched one of them in days but she didn't need to know that.

Octavia smirked. "Or maybe like...Clarke?"

Bellamy froze and stared at his sister. She had a knowing look on her face. He cleared his throat and tried not to look guilty. His sister knew him too well. If she caught a hint of that guilt, she would latch on to it until he told her everything.

"What are you talking about? Clarke?" he struggled to keep a sneer in place. "Like I'd be into The Princess."

"Reeeaaallly? Then what was she doing sneaking out of your tent when I came by earlier." She crossed her arms, obviously relishing him trying to spin this.

He ran his mind through all the possible excuses and discarded all but one. He smirked at his sister, sure in himself that he was about to one-up her.

"She had a worry about the medical supplies and I guess she couldn't wait. She busted into my tent, much the same as you just did." He crossed his arms, relfecting her stance.

Bellamy watched, astounded, as Octavia burst out in laughter.

"Bells...I KNOW. About you and Clarke."

"I don't know what you mean...stop laughing at me!"

His sister was laughing so hard that she was bending over and she had tears streaking out her eyes. She finally contained her laughter, barely by the look of mirth on her face, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I came in here before that Bells, and you two were curled up against each other. It was sweet really, especially considering she was fully clothed." Octavia raised her eyebrow at him but continued, "Besides, I've noticed other things too. I see how you look at her when you think no one is watching. How she smiles when someone mentions you in passing."

"She does? I mean..."he shakes his head, knowing it was useless to deny it now, "Look O, you can't tell anyone about this."

"Why not?" she genuinely looked puzzled.

"Because we can't look weak to the rest. We finally have order among the chaos."

"You're an idiot. If you think that loving Clarke would make you look weak..."she shook her head.

He scoffed but felt a hint of panic creeping in, "Whoa. Who said anything about love?"

Octavia just gave him a cold look and turned on her heel, exiting his tent.

Bellamy stood there feeling confused and suddenly not so sure of himself.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

The day was fairly quiet, less injuries to take care of then she usually had. Maybe the Hundred were finally learning to be careful. She was relieved to see that Octavia decided not to tease her today. She was strangely quiet though Clarke did catch her giving her a speculative look now and then.

Clarke was about to ask her what was up when Jasper and Monty burst through the tent. They looked worried and it made Clarke fearful for what was going to come out of their mouths.

"Clarke! Octavia! Quick, Bellamy's hurt! They're bringing him back now"

She felt her heart stop and she couldn't breathe for a minute. She faintly heard the boys say something about an animal attacking him when he had gone hunting. He had been teaching several of them how to shoot a moving target when the gun misfired.

Clarke felt a hand upon her shoulder and she started.

"Breathe, Clarke. We need to get ready for when he gets here." she heard Octavia speaking in low tones. It was barely about a whisper and a quick glance at Jasper and Monty told her that they hadn't overheard. They were were too busy fretting at the door, awaiting Bellamy's arrival at the drop ship and temporary clinic.

She pulled herself together and went into her mother called the "doctor mode". She moved quickly and efficiently preparing for several possible injuries since neither boy mentioned where the injury was or how bad it was. She pulled her emotions inside of herself and focused on the task at hand.

Octavia was well versed by now to know to start pulling out the supplies she expected that Clarke would need. They worked well together and it was apparent but how they were never in the other's way.

Shortly after, Miller and Monroe came through the door, each holding one of Bellamy's arms over their shoulder to help support his weight. Clarke did a quick visual scan of Bellamy and saw the claw marks in his leg. Someone had pulled up his pants leg before they brought him in so it was easy to spot.

Bellamy gave the two girls a weak smile when he saw them, putting on a brave face despite the pain Clarke read in his eyes.

"Everyone out. Except Clarke and Octavia." Bellamy growled out to the crowd that had gathered inside the ship.

Clarke watched in wordless wonder as everyone filled out, though, she saw that Monroe hesitated. She knew that Monroe had hooked up with Bellamy at least once since arriving on Earth but Clarke tried not to think about it. However,she did see the concern in the girls' face before she saw Clarke watching her.

Monroe nodded at her once and then left. Clarke wondered what that was about. If the girl was respecting her as their healer or merely respecting Bellamy's wishes.

She shoved it from her mind when she moved up to Bellamy's side, taking a seat on a makeshift stool and started to examine the wound. It was deep enough to need stitches but it hadn't hit the femoral artery that ran through his leg. If that had been hit, he would have bleed out in minutes and she wouldn't have been able to stop it.

He was lucky to be alive.

Clarke's hands shook as she started to clean the wound with the alcohol but stopped when she heard Bellamy's sharp intake of breath. It killed her to hurt him.

"Get on with it Princess. It's not going to clean itself." she let out a breath of relief when she heard a note of snarkiness in his voice. Bellamy had read the situation and known what to say to her to get her out of her own head.

She finished quickly after that and took the hook and thread that Octavia handed to her. Clarke worked methodically, stitching up the gashes with an ease that she was surprised at. Soon she was finished and had the wounds bandaged up.

Only then did she look up at his face and saw that he was looking at her with a mixture of awe and affection.

Her entire body jolted when he pulled her up for a kiss. Clarke pulled away quickly and hissed, "Your sister is standing right there Bellamy."

"Yeah I know. She already figured us out. Apparently we suck at secrets." he rolled his eyes in Octavia's direction.

Shaking her head, "Well..either way, you need to rest. You can't be on that leg for at least a day, maybe two."

"Sure thing Princess..." Clarke stared at him in shock. She had anticipated a battle to get him to agree. He continued on as if he expected her reaction,"but only if you come to my tent and play nursemaid."

She smacked him in the arm while he and Octavia chuckled at her expense.

Damn troublesome Blakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I haven't included much about the Ark and the Grounders in my recent chapters but it's because I was waiting for the next episode to air so that I can try to incorporate what I learn then. Does anyone mind that I focus solely on Bellamy and Clarke? I do try to include the other characters and what's going on in the show but I also figure that there's a lot of stories out there that do that already. Let me know if you think I should include more or if the if it's fine the way it is!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, sometimes my best ideas come from drooling over a half-naked picture of Bellamy. And then I play some fitting music in the background, usually something along the lines of "I hate you but I still love you" type of songs. It works wonders for my writing process.
> 
> Just a heads up, I've made the decision to go my own way now, separate from the TV plot. I'll still use some stuff but I put out chapters way to fast to wait for the next show. It's either that or I have to wait a week every time I want to write a new chapter and I just can't do that.

 

**(BELLAMY)**

The next few days passed in a blur for him. The first day had been difficult as he had to stay off his leg per "doctor's orders". Or rather Clarke threatened him with bodily harm and no sex.

It was the latter threat that convinced him.

He had tried to pull Clarke into bed with him when they got back to his tent and she refused. To prove her point, she made Octavia stay the first night in the tent with them as both chaperon and back-up.

Who knew his Princess could be so cruel?

After promising to be on his best behavior, Octavia left them to their own devices. His sister told the camp that he needed to be looked after and Clarke was the best qualified. It was rather genius. It gave an excuse for Clarke to stay with him for a few days.

The first night they were alone together, they did nothing but sleep side by side. His leg was still healing and Clarke refused any "extracurricular activities" as she put it.

However, the next night he seduced her by slowly stripping of his clothes until she finally caved in. She lasted until he got down to his boxers and was pulling them off when she reached out to touch him. He didn't last long under her hands before he had her underneath him while he thrust away inside. He felt the moment when she broke apart and he quickly followed. At the end, Bellamy had seen his previous mark fading from her neck and he bit down again. He wanted to always see something of his on her.

The night after that, Clarke practically jumped him when she came back to the tent. Apparently she wasn't going to play hard to get again. She got on top of him and rode him for all she was worth. She was so beautiful to watch. Taking what she wanted, when she wanted.

Both times, after it was over, he curled up next to her and held her close to him. He waited till she was sound asleep then whispered in her ear the words he couldn't yet say out loud to her.

Clarke left him the next day as if she had stayed, it would've looked odd. His leg was healing nicely and he had already noticed a few strange looks their way from a few of his inner circle.

Bellamy knew that they would never ask him directly but that it wouldn't stop them from talking to one another about it. Monroe was especially quiet. Usually she tried to flirt with him but she hadn't since he had gotten hurt. He didn't know whether to be relieved or suspicious.

He spent most the day doing a check of supplies and to check how the rifle training was going. They needed to prepare if they were attacked by the Grounders.

Later that afternoon, there was a commotion at the communications tent and he had to push his way through the crowd. Jasper was next to the door while Monty was inside on the radio talking to the Ark.

"Jasper...what's going on?"

Jasper jumped at the sound of Bellamy's voice, the boy was still a bit frightened of him. Normally, he enjoyed the effect he had on others but today he didn't have the time. He needed to know what was going on.

"Uhh...yeah...so umm...I guess the Ark told Monty that they are planning to send down another drop ship in 2 days."

Bellamy stilled. He may have been pardoned by the chancellor but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't still be trouble when he came down. Like he had told Clarke on their last outing, he had shot the man and Jaha wasn't likely to forget that.

There was also the worry about how the Hundred would get along with those that had basically given them a death sentence by sending them down to Earth. There were still many that were angry about that, even if they were enjoying their freedom now.

The last and biggest concern was how this would affect the growing problems with the Grounders.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She heard the commotion from inside in the drop ship and she wondered what was causing such a ruckus. Octavia and she exchanged glances and went outside to find out what was going on. Octavia went in search of her brother while Clarke saw Finn off to the side and reluctantly went up to him.

"So what's all the excitement about?" she nodded to the crowd gathered. Clarke didn't want to talk to Finn but she needed answers and she didn't have it in her to pretend to hate Bellamy in order to get them from him. So Finn it was.

He gave her a hesitant smile, possibly glad that she was talking to him again.

"The Ark is sending a drop ship down in 2 days. Apparently things are getting desperate and they want to get started on settling people down here before they have to cull more people."

"Wow. I didn't expect them to send more people down so fast."

Finn hesitated as if trying to decide if he should continue or not.

"Listen Clarke, I heard a rumor that your mom would be on that drop ship."

She took a step back in surprise, not sure how she felt about that. She didn't want her mom to die but she also wasn't ready to talk to her, let alone see her in person.

Finn stepped close and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He knew how upset she was about her mom. He had been the one to reveal to her Well's secret about her mom being the cause of her dad's death.

"I'm here for you Clarke, if you need...anything."

Clarke appreciated the gesture but she was also uncomfortable with it. She didn't want to be rude and shrug off his hand when he was trying to be friendly. She missed having him to rely on without all the complications.

"Thanks Finn." She gave him a small smile.

Finn's free hand reached up and brushed back a stand of hair away from her face. He leaned closer, almost as if he was thinking of kissing her. She wanted to step away but she was frozen in shock. She cared for him but she wanted to be with Bellamy. Yet she couldn't even tell him that.

She felt an odd sense of horror as she saw Finn got closer and she was unable to react.

"What do you think you're doing Spacewalker?" she heard growled from behind her shoulder.

Clarke knew that voice. And she realized how this would have looked to him.

Finn dropped his hands away and stepped away from Clarke.

"Bellamy. Why do you keep butting into our business?"

"Ours?" Bellamy's voice was cold as ice and Clarke turned to look at him. His face was as cold and distant as his voice. She felt a spurt of panic.

"Yes. This is between Clarke and I. And seriously dude, why the fuck do you even care?"

Finn looked back and forth between Clarke and Bellamy as if trying to figure out a puzzle he didn't understand.

"Stop it both of you!" Clarke had enough of the two posturing for each other and Bellamy looked ready to punch Finn. "Finn, for the last time, there is no you and I. We are friends. That's it. I appreciate you telling me about my mom but you need to go now."

Finn looked confused and hurt by her rejection but she just couldn't care anymore. She needed to fix the damage done with Bellamy. That was her first priority. She had already tried to fix things with Finn and he ruined it by making a move on her.

"And you..." she looked at Bellamy, "we need to talk...privately."

An audience had gathered around them, including Raven who looked ready to punch either Finn or Clarke. Or both of them. Clarke couldn't have this discussion with everyone gawking at them.

Clarke ignored all of them and pushed at Bellamy's chest until he finally budged. She saw him glare at Finn one last time before he stormed off to his tent.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

"What the fuck Clarke?"

Bellamy paced his tent, pissed beyond belief at Finn and at Clarke. Her for getting into that situation in the first place. He wanted to go back out there and beat the crap out of Finn for even looking at Clarke, let alone for touching her.

When he had looked across the camp and seen Finn touching her shoulder, he was pissed but when that asshole tried to kiss her...he lost it. He would've punched him if Clarke hadn't been standing so close. He didn't want her to get accidentally hurt.

"Bellamy, calm down. Nothing happened."

"That's sure not what looked it looked like Princess." he glared at her, "Would you have even stopped him if he HAD kissed you?"

He'd seen how close Spacewalker had gotten to her. And Clarke hadn't stopped him. She hadn't moved at all.

God, it would kill him if she still wanted that idiot.

"Of course I would have!" she grabbed at his arm and he finally stopped his pacing to look at her properly. Bellamy could tell she was upset but by what? The fact that he interrupted them before she got back the boy she really wanted? Was Clarke regretting being with him?

"Do you still want Finn? Should I have let the two of you go at it in front of everyone? At least you can be open about being with him." he snarled.

He hated that he was taking his anger at their situation out at her but he couldn't stop the words that were falling out of his mouth.

"What? No! I don't want Finn!" she looked at him pleadingly, "Bellamy, I l...want you."

Want. Not love.

He wanted to hide his pain in private and he couldn't do that with Clarke here looking at him like that. It would remind him that she didn't love him. Not like he loved her. He just needed to get a handle on his emotions and then they could talk again.

"Look, maybe you should go Clarke."

He instantly regretted the harsh tone he used when he saw her step back in shock. She looked like he had just smacked her. Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded jerkily.

Clarke practically tripped over her own feet backpedaling out of his tent.

Bellamy called for her but she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on guys, you had to see this coming! I warned everyone a few chapters ago that this would be a slow burn with bumps in the road! I'm sure that it won't last. These two can't stay apart for long!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added one additional perspective to this chapter but it's probably just be a one-off. I guess it depends on what you guys think of it. I felt it was a good fit for this particular chapter to get it where I needed it to be. I don't know. This is also one of my longest chapters yet. I had a lot to try to get written. But, I'm also feeling twitchy so I might write some more tonight....

 

**(FINN)**

He had messed up big time. Finn was just so glad that Clarke was talking to him again and she just looked so sad when he told her about her mom. He had just wanted to comfort her. But then he touched her and he could only think about holding her, kissing her again.

Finn clenched his fists. Then then arrogant jerk came over and interrupted it. He would never admit it to anyone but he was glad. He was ruining things with both Clarke and Raven. It was tearing him apart.

He didn't understand why Bellamy felt the need to keep tabs on Clarke though. The guy didn't care about anyone or anything besides his sister and himself.

Raven was glaring at him as he walked past her towards their tent. She followed him and he knew he was about to get an earful.

As he reached the tent, he opened the tent's door and allowed Raven in first. Finn had just walked in after her when he felt pain explode in his jaw.

"Shit! That fucking hurt Raven"

"It's supposed to. That's why I did it!" she was shaking out her hand.

"Look, I'm sorry. She just looked upset. I was trying to comfort her."

"By kissing her?"

"I wasn't going to do that! I was going to give her a hug, that's it!"

Finn knew he was lying but he didn't want to hurt Raven anymore than he already had. He needed to fix this between them. And make things right with Clarke.

Raven gave him a skeptical look, clearly not believing him. He scrambled for something to tell her so she would stop worrying.

"Besides, Bellamy and her seem to have something going on."

The words rushed out of his mouth without thinking. It gave him pause, wondering where in the world the thought had come from. It was true that Bellamy had been almost...protective...of Clarke lately but she was his co-leader and the camp's only trained healer. And while she did stay in his tent for a few nights, he HAD been hurt. That's all it was, nothing more.

Raven was looking off to the side, apparently considering his words.

"Raven..." she looked at him but the previous anger was gone. She must've thought he was right about Clarke and Bellamy. He wanted to take back the words but instead, decided that he had other concerns to worry about first.

"The Ark is coming down in 2 days and it's going to cause problems with the Grounders unless we do something."

"What can we do? We tortured one of theirs. They aren't going to just forgive us."

"I know. But we need to work with them. Otherwise there will be a war when the drop ship arrives." he paused letting that sink in. "I need to meet with that Grounder and arrange a treaty."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Octavia."

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She barreled into several people as she made her way to the gate, muttering her apologies as went. She had only gone a few feet past the gate when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It whirled her around and caused her to stumble.

Monroe.

"What do you want? I'm not in the mood."

Clarke was barely holding back tears and she wanted to be alone when she broke down. This delay wasn't helping. She had kept her tears back when Finn was hurt till she was alone, she would damn well do it again till Monroe left.

Monroe just stood there looking at her, arms crossed over her chest. Clarke raised her chin and gave off the haughty princess look that everyone accused her off. She might as well use it to her advantage.

"Look Clarke, I don't know what's going on with you and Bellamy but I could care less. You can't leave camp."

Clarke's eyes widen in shock. This was not what she was expecting.

"Wh..what are you talking about?"

"Bellamy said no one out after dark."

"That's not what I meant."

Monroe shrugged, not answering the question. "Either way, we need to head back."

Clarke ignored her and turned to go. She wasn't going to listen to Bellamy's lackey. She didn't really think that Bellamy would care one way or the other if she disappeared from camp. Not after the way he had spoken to her a few minutes ago. Cold and distant, like he didn't even care.

She didn't hear Monroe again so she figured the girl finally gave up and let Clarke go. She had done her duty and she could tell that to Bellamy if he asked.

She walked towards the bunker as it was the only safe place she could think of in case the acid fog came. Clarke didn't need the reminder of Finn but she had no other place to go to be alone.

After about a mile out, she thought she heard a second set of footsteps behind her and she abruptly stopped in her tracks. The footsteps stopped as well.

"Seriously Monroe. Go back to your lord and master. You can tell him that you tried to stop me."

"And tell him what Clarke? That I left you out here by yourself? I don't think so."

Clarke turned back towards the other girl. Apparently she wasn't the only stubborn one out here.

"Why not? You don't even like me"

"No, not particularly. But he does."

Clarke didn't have any illusions as to whom she was referring.

"He doesn't. I can just about guarantee that right now."

Monroe shrugged again. "Believe what you want but I'm still not leaving."

She knew that she wasn't going to get the peace and quiet she desperately sought so she started the walk back to camp. Monroe kept a few paces back but followed her the entire way, neither saying another word.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It had been a lonely night for him without Clarke to share his bed. He had gotten used to her in his bed in such a short time. He didn't like sleeping alone without her. The old Bellamy would've hunted down one of the random girls to warm his bed with but he had no interest in them anymore.

After nights like this, he wished he could be like he used to. No other care in the world besides protecting his sister. He could do whatever or whomever he wanted. Now he was consumed with feelings for a certain blonde, stubborn, infuriating, sexy, smart, Brave Princess.

When did his life get so complicated?

Eventually he got up and got dressed. He couldn't hide out in his tent forever. Bellamy knew he needed to fix things with Clarke but he didn't know how.

First though, he had a camp to run.

He saw Miller first and he pulled over his right-hand man to go over several items that needed attention. A new group was being trained on the rifles and Bellamy was going to lead them. It had been a few days since his leg injury and he wanted to get back out there.

There were also some of the younger kids were stealing extra rations. They were hungry and the youngest of the group but he also couldn't let it go unpunished. He hated that he had to be the one to punish them but he wouldn't let someone else do it. They were his responsibility.

After making the kids give back the extra rations, he put them on food detail. Normally the older kids would do this chore but he wanted them to understand how limited their resources were.

Satisfied with that the punishment, he went to address another issue that was brought up by Miller. He had to drag it out of him but after awhile he got what he needed. He was hoping that he could even solve his other issue while he was at it.

He tracked Clarke down in the drop ship where she was working by herself. He wondered where Octavia was for a minute but he would track her down later.

"Clarke..."

He saw her still and waited for her to turn around. When she didn't, he frowned. He didn't want to have this converstation with her back.

"I'm not going to do this with you right now Bellamy."

Her voice had no emotion in it. She was full of passion and fire usually so this just felt wrong to him. Warning bells went off in his head. He decided to work his way around to what he most wanted to talk about with her.

"I heard reports that you went outside the gate last night. You should know better than anyone that we need to lead by example and follow the rules we set down for everyone else."

"Fine. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

He should be happy, she agreed to stay inside the gate where it was safe. But there was something off about her tone.

"Is that everything? I have work to do?"

She was dismissing him!

"No Clarke it isn't. We need to talk about last night. I didn't mean..."

"NO!" she cut him off. She finally turned around to face him and he hated to see the pain on her face. He had done this to her. He had lashed out at her last night because of his own pain and jealousy.

He softened his voice, "Princess..."

"Don't you dare call me that! Not after last night!"

He stepped up to her and grabbed her shoulders. He wasn't going to go without a fight. He was going to fix this somehow. He had to.

"I'm going to call you that because that's what you are. A Princess. My Princess."

She struggled against his hold but he was stronger.

"You say that but you don't trust me Bellamy. You think I want Finn still despite being with you."

He sighed but didn't say anything. He didn't know how much to reveal to her. About his insecurities in regards to her feelings about him. That maybe he wasn't good for her even if she made him want to be better. However, Clarke took his silence to mean that she was right.

"See? You can't even deny it" she took a deep breath and rushed on when he opened his mouth to correct her, "Just leave Bellamy. We're finished. Go fuck one of your groupies because I certainly won't; I don't want you anymore."

Bellamy felt like someone had just shoved a dagger into his chest with those words. He dropped her shoulders and stepped back to stare at her face, trying to find something...anything...to tell him that she was lying but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

It took him a moment to put on his cold face and speak past the lump in his throat. "As you wish."

He left without a backwards glance.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Octavia finally appeared not long after her brother left. She must've talked to him because she came in looking ready to tear Clarke a new one. Clarke took one look at her face and broke down crying.

Immediately Octavia softened and gave Clarke a hug, whispering reassurances to her.

It took Clarke a few minutes to settle down and by then they were both sitting down on their stools.

"Now that you're calm again, tell me what happened?"

"I was awful to your brother."

"Well, yeah he usually deserves it. I did catch him just outside the ship and got to hear his side. Now tell me yours."

Clarke poured out the entire story, starting with what happened with Finn yesterday to the exchange a few minutes ago. Octavia got an odd expression on her face when Finn was mentioned but she didn't say anything. Just let Clarke finish her story and catch her breath.

"Hmm. You two sure know how to fuck up a good thing."

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Not helping."

"Hey, it needed to be said. Now, what are you going to do to fix it?" Octavia raised her eyebrow at Clarke and waited for an answer.

"Fix it? I don't think it can be fixed after what I said to him. I told him to go fuck another girl!"

She started to feel sick when she thought about him doing just that. She hadn't meant it. It had just come out. Apparently Bellamy wasn't the only one with jealousy issues.

"Nonsense. Swallow your pride and go to him. My brother doesn't want anyone but you. So stop being an idiot. I swear, you two have more fucking issues than any of us down here and that's saying something."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true." Octavia smirked at her.

Clarke knew that Octavia was right. About talking to him, not the part about their issues. Now she just needed to get him alone and repair the damage. If it could be repaired. She prayed that it could be.

She had just stepped outside the drop ship when Finn stopped her. She groaned. This was so not what she needed right now. Hadn't he caused enough trouble yesterday?

"Whatever it is Finn, I don't want to hear it."

"I've set up a meeting with the Grounders."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE tell me someone gets the "As you wish" reference and what it really means. It does make a difference if you understand what Bellamy was really saying to her. If you don't...google it along with the movie title The Princess Bride. You'll be sorry if you don't...


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This chapter is mostly based on what happened in the last episode. The conversations are the same though I did try to crop out what wasn't needed to just make it relevant to what I have going on in my storyline. Now that I've gotten this out of the way, I can re-focus back on my individual story. There is more POV switching that usual but I tried to limit it as much as I could.

 

**(CLARKE)**

Finn's words stopped her cold.

All around them, the Hundred were celebrating Unity Day. The day the Ark came together to become one. Clarke supposed that it was both fitting and ironic that Finn chose today to arrange some sort of peace treaty.

"A meeting? I don't understand, With who? How?"

"I was just with the Grounder that we had in the drop ship. His names' Lincoln."

"Wh...wait a second. He spoke to you?"

Clarke didn't know what shocked her more. The fact that the Grounders spoke English or that Finn had snuck around behind everyone's back to do this.

"It's not important. If we wanna live in peace..."

"Finn, we can't live in peace with people who have done nothing but kill us!" He was stabbed by that same Grounder yet he thought they would be willing to make peace with us? Had the poison go to his head?

"Can you think of a better way to stop the bloodshed?"

"Yeah. With the guns that the Guard bring down"

Finn looked at her with something akin to shock, like he couldn't believe that she had said that. That she actually condoned violence when before, she had spoken out against it.

She had changed. Finn was part of that reason.

"You really want a war? Because at this rate, that's what's coming. Look, I know it's a long shot...but this is our world now. I think we can do better than the first time. I trust him."

"I don't. " she paused, trying to find a compromise with him, "But..if we go, we have to bring backup."

"No way. We're not bringing guns. Those weren't the terms, and if we're gonna do this, we got to give it a fair shot."

Finn was shaking his head vehemently. She could see that he was not going to budge on this, no matter what she said. Clarke didn't think it would be a good idea to meet the Grounders without protection though, not after everything that had happened.

She would just have to go around him then.

Clarke agreed to meet him at the gate in several minutes, stating that she needed to grab her pack first before heading out. In reality, she needed the time to warn Bellamy of Finn's plan.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

"Hey. I need to talk to you."

He was just coming out of his tent when he heard Clarke's voice. He had been hoping that she'd come find him so they could work this out between them. He just didn't think it would be so soon, especially with the celebration going on.

"Having fun yet, Princess?" he smiled, gesturing to the party around them.

"I'm serious."

Bellamy chuckled and moved them away from the crowd so as not to be overheard. Clarke was almost always serious, about everything.

"You always are, so talk."

She paused and that's when he realized that she looked worried. It wiped the smile from his face. Whatever she had to say, he wasn't going to like it.

"Finn's set up a meeting with the Grounders. I'm leaving to go talk to them."

That was not what he had been expecting. Not at all. He had been hoping to patch things up between the two of them and instead, she's telling him that she's going to go meet with the Grounders. The same ones that want them dead.

What was she thinking going along with Spacewalker's plan? That boy was going to get her killed.

"Because you figure that impaling people on spears is code for "let's be friends"? Have you lost your damn mind?"

"I think it might be worth a shot. I mean, we do have to live with these people." Clarke looked at him pleadingly, trying to sway him.

"Clarke, they'll probably gut you, string you up as a warning."

The thought of it was enough to make him sick. He wanted to grab her, swing her over his shoulder and lock her up in the drop ship to keep her safe. Bellamy was willing to risk her wrath if it meant she lived.

He seriously considered doing just that for moment before realizing that Clarke deserved better. She had a good head on her shoulders and she had proved it by coming to him to let him know what Finn was up to. She could've just snuck out of camp but hadn't.

"Well, that's why I'm here. I need you to follow us, be our backup."

Bellamy paused, thinking it over. He couldn't imagine that Spacewalker would be okay with them coming along on this little trip of his. Not with how much he hated Bellamy.

"Does Finn know about this?"

She shook her head. "Finn doesn't need to know, and, Bellamy...bring guns."

Bellamy could see it in Clarke's eyes that she was scared. Scared to go meet these Grounders that wished them harm. Yet she looked determined too. He wouldn't let her down.

He nodded hesitantly, "As you wish."

Bellamy knew right away whom he needed to grab to come along. Jasper had been quite useful when they had rescued Octavia and had been the one to knock out the Grounder when he had attacked him.

He asked around and several people said they saw he go into the tent where the guns were. Bellamy figured that was a good sign. Two birds, one...something or other. He never could remember how the saying went.

When he got to the tent, he saw Jasper talking with Raven. He didn't hear what they were talking about and he didn't care. He needed to hurry up and get what they needed.

"Jasper, you're coming with me."

He reached for some ammo on the table and Raven's hand shot out to stop him.

"If you're planning on shooting anything, you better think twice. I haven't checked those yet."

Was she seriously wasting his time with this? He needed to go and this delay was starting to irritate him.

Bellamy glared at her, "Then give me some bullets that work."

"What do you need them for?"

"Your boyfriend is being an idiot."

Apparently that was the right thing to say to her because it got her moving. She grabbed a set of magazines and handed them to him.

" I'm coming with you."

He thought about refusing her when Jasper suddenly chipped in, "We should get Clarke."

Bellamy didn't answer him but instead, glanced over at Raven. He didn't know how to tell her that her boyfriend was the one to hunt down Clarke for this secret meeting. It takes her a few seconds but when she finally gets it, she looks pissed.

He didn't want to be Spacewalker when Raven got a hold on him.

"Clarke's with Finn, isn't she?"

Bellamy again didn't answer but instead left the tent. He needed to get to Clarke and help keep her safe like she asked. He wasn't going to fail her.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

They were trekking their way through the woods, going further and further away from camp. She trailed behind Finn, not knowing where he was taking her but having no choice but to follow since she had agreed to come.

Clarke was worried that she was slowly walking to her death. The fear caused her to go over her every decision and wonder if she had made the right one. If she would die with a clear conscience. She hadn't forgiven her mom or told Bellamy how she felt.

Now she might never get the chance.

She decided to make conversation in order to avoid her dark thoughts.

"I'd love it if you were right about this but did you ever consider it might be a trap?"

"Yep, but since it's Unity Day, I decided to have hope instead." Finn sounded awfully cheerful considering their circumstances.

He jumped down from a log and make a pained sound. Clarke worried that he might have ripped his stitches. He really shouldn't be out here while still recovering.

"Oh! Hey. Let me have a look at that."

Finn pulled up his shirt and Clarke bent down to check his wound. She absentmindedly rested her hand on his skin while she got a closer look. The stitches were still intact but he had a lot of bruising around the around which was to be expected.

She looked up and found Finn's face close to hers. It reminded her of the night they had spent in the bunker. Finn stared at her and she knew that they both thinking about the same night.

She pulled back and helped him pull his shirt back down. She wanted to get the conversation back on track before Finn decided to talk about what was best left in the past.

"Seriously, Finn, you're putting a lot of faith in a guy who stuck a knife in you."

"And you're sounding more and more like Bellamy."

Clarke knew that he hadn't meant that as a compliment but she took it as one. Bellamy had done a lot of this group but Finn didn't see that. She wasn't going to argue with him about it though. It would be a waste of time.

"I'm just trying to keep us alive."

"So am I."

With that, Finn started walking again. Clarke waited a moment then reached into her bag to grab a handful of nuts and dropped them onto the ground. She wanted to make sure Bellamy had a trail to follow.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy had been tracking them using the nuts that Clarke had been dropping for him. She was using the nuts that had caused everyone to trip out over a week ago and were therefore not part of their food rations.

After following the trail for awhile, they finally arrived to the meeting point, at a bridge in the middle of nowhere.

He snorted. If that wasn't a metaphor.

Bellamy sees Clarke up on the bridge next to Finn. Their eyes meet for a second before he notices something out of the corner of his eye.

"What's Octavia doing here?" he heard Jasper ask.

He hadn't seen his sister at first but now he does as she ran across the bridge. He notices the Grounder from before running towards her. Now they were embracing! Bellamy's jaw clenched. If he didn't need to keep out of sight, he would've had some things to say to his sister.

He turned his attention back to Clarke. She had given her approval to torture this Grounder. He may have held the belt but he knew Clarke felt responsible for it as well.

She started to back away when Finn reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her departure. He saw Finn look at her and pull her closer, not letting go of her hand.

He seriously was ready to hurt that guy. And if he felt like that, he could only imagine how Raven was feeling. Bellamy glanced over his shoulder and could see a similar expression to his on her face as she watched them.

Bellamy heard an odd sound and aimed his gun at the Grounder. Raven pointed out that the sound was coming from the opposite side of the bridge.

More Grounders had arrived.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke watched as a women and two guards on horseback approached. Finn was still holding onto her hand but she barely noticed.

The woman looked like a true warrior, fierce and strong. She was covered in furs and leathers with her long hair flowing down her back. The female stared at her and Clarke feels a shot of fear travel through her body.

Clarke could immediately tell that she was the leader of the Grounders. Then she notices that the guards with her are armed. Finn was now noticing the same thing as Clarke had and was arguing with Lincoln.

"It's too late now."

Finn and Clarke looked at each other, both worried that maybe that had made a mistake in coming here. Hand in hand, they moved forward towards the woman, each trying to give the other strength.

They only made it a few steps before Lincoln's hand shot out to grab Finn by the chest, effectively stopping him.

"She goes alone."

Finn looked ready to argue but she knew it would be no use. It was her or no one.

"I'll be fine."

"Clarke..." he paused as if unsure what to say. He looked scared for her so she tried to reassure him.

"Hey. It's time to do better."

It took him a minute but he finally nodded and released her hand.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He watched, heart in his throat, as Clarke walked over to meet the female Grounder in the middle of the bridge. Bellamy hated that he couldn't hear what they were saying. He wished that she wasn't alone on the bridge with someone that looked like she had no problem killing.

The two had spent several minutes talking when Raven finally spoke up.

"Grounder princess looks pissed."

"Our princess has that effect." Clarke had a tendency to annoy most people, including him at times, but he considered that part of her charm.

He noticed Jasper starting to get agitated and muttering to himself, "Oh, no. No. This is bad"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bellamy wanted to shake Jasper. He wasn't telling them what he was seeing and it made him nervous.

"There's grounders in the trees."

Neither Raven nor he could see what Jasper was talking about when he suddenly yelled at Clarke to run.

"There're gonna shoot! Clarke, run! Run"

Before he could stop him, Jasper ran out into the open and started shooting.

Bellamy watched in slow motion as Clarke turned around towards them and the other woman pulled a knife hidden in her bracer. He knew that if he didn't make the shot, that Clarke would be as good as dead.. He lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Chaos surrounded her. She heard the sound of a knife being pulled and whirled back around. There was a split second where she thought for sure it was all over and then the sound of a gunshot whizzed by. The woman, Anya, fell back, clutching her shoulder.

She turned and made eye contact with Bellamy. He had saved her life yet again.

"Clarke, get down!" Finn started to run across the bridge to Clarke, pointing towards the trees.

She saw a Grounder taking aim at her and she finally was able to move again. She jumped from her spot, an arrow hitting the spot where she had just been standing.

"Finn, get back" she yelled, watching as Finn ran to her. Arrows were flying at both of them and he was barely ducking them as is.

He grabbed her and helped her up then they ran back towards Lincoln and Octavia. At some point, Lincoln had gotten hit by an arrow and Octavia was freaking out about it.

"It's just a scratch." he groaned and Clarke watched as he broke off the shaft of the arrow. He turned to them and yelled to take Octavia. He told them to run till they got back to camp and were safe again behind their walls.

They didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

The group gathered just outside the gate and Finn was glaring at Bellamy so he glared right back.

"You got something to say?"

"Yeah. I told you no guns!" he shouted back, looking at Clarke to include her in his rant.

"I told you we couldn't trust the grounders. I was right." She wasn't going to back down either. Bellamy could tell that she was just as pissed at Finn for risking their lives.

Suddenly, everyone is arguing with each other before Octavia finally stomps off. Then, one by one, everyone else leaves except for him and Clarke. 

He wants to talk to her about but she looks exhausted.

Tomorrow. They'll straighten everything out tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up late to finish this because I had promised several people that I would release a new chapter this morning and I always try to keep my promises. I'm sorry if you didn't like that I basically rehashed the episode. It had what I needed for my story but I tried to make it my own. I'm falling asleep at my desk now so I'm going to go crawl into bed. Love you all and I promise I will release original content tomorrow morning.
> 
> P.S. He said it for the second time...did anyone catch that? Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge. ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: It was brought to my attention that the chapter yesterday had some tense (had vs has) issues. I typically write in past tense but I did have some present tense written yesterday. I'm sorry as I was in a rush to finish and not feeling the best so I wasn't as through as usual. Hopefully that didn't put anyone off but if you're reading this, then I guess you have forgiven me enough to keep reading.
> 
> Honestly, this chapter was one of my most favorite to write. I feel it reflects my version of the Bellarke relationship the best.

 

**(CLARKE)**

It had been an exhausting day and Clarke was ready for sleep. She felt like a zombie as she walked to her tent and the moment her head hit the pillow, she was out for the night.

Her dreams were plagued with the events of the previous day and she was thankful when she finally awoke. Not wanting to linger, Clarke was up and out of her tent within minutes.

The bright morning light caused her to squint as she stepped outside. She used her hand to shade her eyes as she looked around. Apparently the camp was still feeling the effects of last night's partying as it was unnaturally quiet despite the number of people wandering around.

Clarke walked to the drop ship and peeked inside. She didn't want any surprises ambushes this morning from either Finn or Bellamy. Instead, she saw that Octavia was inside but that she was just sitting on her stool, looking off at the wall. Seeing no one else, Clarke walked in.

Octavia turned at the sound of Clarke's footsteps and she gave her a half-hearted smile. Clarke could only imagine what the girl was feeling after last night. She must be worried sick about Lincoln and his fate.

"I'm sure he's fine."

She could tell that Octavia knew to whom Clarke was referring to.

"Yeah, maybe." she didn't sound so sure though, "He took that arrow for me Clarke. And I didn't get a chance to thank him or make sure he was okay."

Octavia was sniffling and wiping away tears from her eyes.

Clarke felt guilty because she knew that things might have gone differently if they hadn't brought the guns but she also knew that there was no way to know that for sure since the Grounders themselves had come armed. So she was stuck in this half-justified, half-guilty phase.

"Maybe...maybe we can try to go find him. Just to be sure he's safe."

Octavia's face lit up at Clarke's words but then immediately fell.

"Bellamy will never allow us out past the gate. Not after what happened."

She knew Octavia was right. Bellamy would forbid them from helping but she couldn't stand by and do nothing when Octavia was this upset. She had noticed Monroe and another guard outside the drop ship when she had arrived this morning and she had a feeling that Bellamy was having them watched.

Clarke knew then what she had to do.

"I'll take care of that. You just worry about getting some medical supplies together for our trip in case your Grounder is seriously hurt." Clarke paused, knowing that they were about to risk their lives and Bellamy's wrath on this trip, "Besides, we owe him for trying to negotiate peace, even if it failed in the end."

It was late afternoon before they were ready to go. Clarke had prepared a liquid vial filled with a solution called chloroform that her mother used to knock out patients when medically necessary. She was lucky that they had found some bleach in the bunker, which she then added to some of the distilled alcohol that Monty had given them to create the mixture.

After taking a few minutes to show Octavia how much liquid to pour in a cloth and where to place it, Clarke called their guards inside.

As soon as they walked in, both girls stood behind them and held the rags to their mouths, holding on tightly to their bodies as they fought back. After a few seconds, the fight went out of them and they dropped like stones. Clarke and Octavia caught them as they fell before proceeding to drag them over against the wall. The last thing they grabbed were their weapons.

Clarke grabbed her bag and shoved another one at Octavia. They slipped out of the drop ship and went along the edge of the wall making their way to the gate. Octavia stopped her suddenly to show her a small opening in the wall which must have used to get out before. It looked tight and uncomfortable to slip through but it would work.

They crawled through the small hole and took off running as soon as they were on the other side. Clarke knew that Bellamy would realize fairly quickly that something was wrong when he didn't see the guards outside.

Clarke figured they had only been gone for a few minutes when the alarm was sounded back at camp.

She couldn't help but smile at thought of outwitting the Great Bellamy Blake.

Maybe next time he'll post more guards.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He knew he should have posted additional guards on those two.

Bellamy had known how worried Octavia had been about her precious Grounder after he got shot and that Clarke was just the type to want to go help him. She had almost been killed yesterday because of his people yet still, she would want to save him.

His Princess was going to be the death of him.

He quickly organized a small search party and set off to find them. Bellamy grabbed Finn to help with the search but didn't tell him whom exactly they were looking for. He didn't want to see Spacewalker make moon eyes at the mere mention of Clarke's name. I

t didn't take them long to realize that unlike yesterday, Clarke had left no trail to follow. She had apparently picked up a few new skills. They circled the camp around several times to be sure but were unable to find the direction the girls had gone.

After a few hours, he finally called it off and they went back to the camp.

He was going to make a few things clear to both girls when they finally returned.

It was just after midnight when the girls walked back through the gates. He had been pacing in front of his tent for some time now wondering when…if….they would be back.

Finally, he spotted a blonde head appear at the gate, quickly followed by a brunette. He looked them over and couldn't see any injuries on either of them. He breathed a sigh of relief and then, he exploded.

"What the hell were you two thinking?"

Clarke shared a meaningful look with his sister before Octavia stepped away and went to her tent. He noticed his sister looked better, almost calm. Bellamy motioned for two guards to follow her. He wasn't going to let her slip from camp again, not if he could stop it.

"We had to take care of something."

"I know what you what you had to "take care of"! Did you forget that we're at war with those people?"

Clarke glared at him and he was tempted to shake her. Didn't she understand that he had been scared for them? That he was worried that he would find one of them staked to a tree like Jasper had been?

"He saved Octavia! I would think you would appreciate that of all people!"

"Of course I do but it doesn't mean that you need to foolishly risk your lives for his!"

"It was the right thing to do Bellamy!"

By now, a crowd had gathered around them with people whispering as they watched the two argue. Bellamy was barely aware of them as he stepped into Clarke's space. She obviously wasn't expecting him to get so close but she refused to back down. Brave Princess.

He felt himself grow hard at the determined look on her face. Fighting with her was turning him on.

He hadn't been this close to her in days and fighting with her was like their own twisted sense of foreplay. He was breathing hard and could see that she was having trouble as well.

A glance down her body showed that her nipples were hard. He grinned when he realized that she was turned on as he was. Bellamy turned that grin on her and he saw Clarke swallow hard.

Apparently his Princess wasn't as over him as she pretended.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She knew she was in trouble when he turned that grin on her. Between the sexy dimples and those innocent looking freckles, she felt herself go weak in the knees.

God but she wanted him. Badly.

Clarke wanted to fix things with him but first, she needed to finish this...disagreement. She didn't want Bellamy to think he could win by using her feelings for him against her. Or that because they were together...if they were still together she corrected herself...that he would always get his way.

She scrambled for a way to end this without as appearing as if she was backing down or conceding to him.

She was aware that people were watching them and that the longer that Bellamy grinned at her without Clarke responding, that the whispers were getting louder. Clarke pushed past Bellamy, intending to go to his tent so they could finish talking in private.

Bellamy grabbed her hand and whirled her around to face him. Before she had a chance to react, maybe yell at him some more, his hand had cupped the back of her head and his lips were on hers.

He was kissing her. In front of the entire camp.

She wanted to bite his tongue for exposing their secret but he was a slippery bastard. He knew when to slip his tongue in her mouth and pull back so that soon, she was invading his mouth with her tongue.

She heard someone that sounded a lot like Monroe mutter, "It's about damn time."

There was also talk about someone winning a bet but she ignored it. She was too distracted by Bellamy running his free hand around her waist and yanking her against his body.

It would seem that since that Bellamy had decided to break his own rule, he was going to do it with a bang.

Clarke felt dazed when he finally pulled back. He ran a finger down her cheek, the gesture oddly tender considering the emotions coursing through her body at that moment. Looking into his eyes, she could see the lust and something warmer that she hadn't noticed before.

Before she had a chance to reflect on it, Bellamy was using his hand to grab her waist and lift her up and over his shoulder. Clarke found herself hanging upside down looking down his back. She started smacking him with her fists, outraged that he would embarrass her like this in front of everyone.

"Let me down Bellamy!"

Bellamy chuckled but didn't let her go. Instead he turned and started the walk back to his tent. Clarke was blushing as she watched the Hundred laughing at the two of them. She was going to make Bellamy pay for this.

Thankfully, it was a short walk to his tent and Clarke spent the time yelling obscenities at him. When they were finally inside, she tried to wiggle free again.

"Dammit Bellamy...put me down!"

He dropped her down on his bed and leaned over her, smiling. "As you wish."

Clarke gasped at the warm look in his eyes. She finally realized what he had been trying to tell her the last few days with those words.

He loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...what did you guys think of that last scene? Did it satisfy your demands for a Bellarke reunion? I sure hope so because it made me smile just writing it!
> 
> Seriously...I love you guys! Your comments, kudos and bookmarks are what keep me motivated to write every day. And I love hearing from new people just as much as those that I've been chatting with for several chapters! Looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I started this story about 2 weeks ago, not expecting much from it. I was a first time writer that was fascinated by the Bellarke angle on The 100 and wanted to try my hand at writing about it. This little non-existent story now has gathered quite the following on here and a few other sites that it's posted on. It blows my mind. I just wanted to say thank you to all my readers for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to grow in my writing. You are the best readers!
> 
> Warning: There is a sex scene in this chapter. Nothing too extreme but now you've been officially warned so don't go saying I didn't. And don't skim it too much or you'll miss some good parts mixed in there.

 

 

**(CLARKE)**

He loved her. The Rebel Leader loved the Brave Princess.

Sneaky bastard.

Bellamy was leaning over her with his hands on either side of head against the bed. She smacked his arm.

"Hey!"

"You're such an asshole sometimes"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You're just figuring this out now Princess?"

Clarke glared at him. "Seriously Bellamy, what the hell happened to not telling anyone? It was  _your_ idea in the first place to keep everyone in the dark."

Bellamy shrugged.

"THAT is not an answer."

"I was tired of pretending." He grinned at her like he just had a pleasing thought, "And now Spacewalker will know you're off-limits. Win/win."

She wanted to kill him. She really did. Either that or kiss him. Kill, kiss, kill, kiss. Decisions, decisions.

He was such a pain in the ass. First they can't tell anyone because he says it's a bad idea. Don't look weak to the others, blah, blah, blah. Now he suddenly makes the decision to reveal it all in front of  _everyone_. And did he think to consult her? No!

"And who said that I want to be with you?" she asked.

Bellamy's grin slid from his face and for the first time, looked uncertain about her answer. She could see how vulnerable he was feeling in those beautiful brown eyes of his. She could easily see the love he felt reflected back at her now.

"Don't you?"

Clarke felt like an idiot for not seeing it before now. He had never tried to hide it, she just was too wrapped up in everything else to notice. Of course, it might have helped if had actually said the words to her. A girl does like to be told romantic shit like that sometimes.

She knew that Bellamy was waiting on her answer. He could have easily seduced her into saying yes but he wasn't. He was letting her decide with a clear head and she knew then and there that she loved him.

Bellamy didn't manipulate her or hold back things from her. He may not always say the right words or do the right thing but he didn't try to be something he wasn't. He respected her even when he didn't agree with her.

He may not be a prince but he was hers.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He could see that Clarke thinking hard and he held his breath waiting for her answer. Bellamy knew that she wanted him, her body betrayed that fact to him only moments ago. But he didn't just want her body. He was arrogant enough to know that he could get sex from almost any girl here but that's not what drove him in regards to Clarke

No, he wanted his Princess' heart.

He knew he wasn't what anyone would call a hero or a knight-in-shining-armor. He did what he had to in order to protect what he loved. Sometimes that made him into the villain and he accepted that.

The girls he's slept with before had seen him merely as a conquest, not as an actual person. But Clarke, she saw deeper than that to the person he truly was. It's why he wanted her to acknowledge what they were to each other without her saying that he tricked her into it with sex.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she smiled softly and nodded at him.

Bellamy let out the breath he'd been holding and kissed her, slowly and gently. It wasn't long before things started to heat up between them, something that never failed to delight him. Clarke had wrapped her hand into his shirt and twisted the fabric into a fist, pulling him closer to her.

They started pulling off their clothes frantically, both stopping now and again to caress newly exposed skin. Bellamy yanked a little too hard on Clarke's shirt and it ripped from the side up to her armpit.

Clarke started laughing and he joined in after a few startled seconds.

"Way to go slick"

"I never did like that shirt on you...or any shirt really." he leered at her.

He threw the shirt to the side and started to kiss her stomach, moving up from her ribs to the edge of her breasts. Clarke's laughter quickly turned to moans at the touch of mouth.

Bellamy quickly unhooked her bra and it ended up on the growing pile of clothes. Clarke started to reach for his pants but he grabbed her hands, stopping her. She looked at him in confusion. He grabbed both her hands in his left hand and pushed them above her head, trapping her.

Clarke bit her lip, obviously turned on by the move. Bellamy knew his Princess liked to be in control and that the fact that she wasn't for once was exciting her.

He slowly removed her pants then slipped them and her underwear over her hips and down her legs. She kicked them off and then she was completely naked. He removed his pants as quickly as he could with only one free hand so soon they were both naked.

Bellamy then took his time looking her over, memorizing every line of her body. She was breathtaking.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke arched her back, desperate to feel his skin against hers but Bellamy pulled back, stopping her from reaching him.

She wanted to touch him but he was restraining her hands and while she would never admit it, it was a serious turn on for her.

Clarke liked the idea of not being in control for once. She always had to be when they were outside this tent but in here with Bellamy, she could just let go. It wasn't about who was in charge, it was just about enjoying the moment, free of responsibilities.

She jerked in surprise when Bellamy slammed his length inside of her. She was more than ready for him ad the friction was a mix of pleasure and pain.

Clarke wrapped her legs around his and used his momentum to push herself against him. Every time he slammed inside, he would rub up against her clit and she was soon whimpering with need.

Bellamy thrust his tongue into her mouth, quieting her moans before they alerted the camp to what they were doing, if they didn't already know.

It didn't take long for Clarke to start shaking with the force of her orgasm and soon, it burst forth from her like a volcano. She heard Bellamy moan and started to pick up speed. He groaned her name once and then Clarke could feel him coming inside her.

Neither moved for several minutes while they waited for their breathing to return to normal. Bellamy released her wrists and rolled them both to their sides, facing each other. He had a tender expression on his face, like he was regarding something precious.

Clarke smiled at him. "You ruined my shirt."

"You can wear mine from now on."

She laughed. "Subtly is not your strong suit."

"Never said it was." He kissed in the crook of her neck. "Now, why don't you tell me about the outing that you and Octavia took today?"

Clarke sighed, knowing she should consider herself lucky that she was able to avoid this conversation for as long as she had.

"We went to go find Octavia's Grounder but you knew that already."

Bellamy groaned. "Oh man Clarke, don't call him that. That alone is enough to make me want to kill him."

She chuckled. "Well you can't do that. Your sister and I put a lot of work into saving him. Hate for it to go to waste and all."

"So he lives?"

Clarke nodded and snuggled against him. She didn't want to talk about the Grounder anymore. Bellamy covered them with the animal fur when she yawned, tucking her head underneath his.

She placed a kiss on his chest, right above his heart and murmured, "Love you."

His arms wrapped her tightly in a hug and he whispered in her ear, "Love you too Princess."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

A shout woke him up from a sound sleep. He heard his name being called and a second later, Miller poked his head in the tent. Bellamy checked to make sure Clarke was covered by the blanket and saw that she was still sound asleep.

He glared at Miller whom was looking very uncomfortable, if the way he was staring at the floor was anything to go by.

"Sorry man but you need to get out here."

"What's so important that you needed to wake me?"

"There's something in the sky."

"The exodus ship?"

"Could be."

Bellamy motioned for Miller to leave so that he could get dressed. He hated to wake up Clarke but knew that she would be pissed if he left her here. If it was the ship from the Ark, she would want to know.

He gently pushed at her shoulder. "Clarke, wake up."

"Mmmm...I'm sleeping. Leave me be."

He grinned and threw off the blanket so the cold air hit her naked body. She gasped and sat up, glaring daggers at him.

"I hate you Bellamy Blake."

He kissed her forehead as he got out of bed. "No, you don't. You looooove me."

"Fuck you." she muttered as she started to grab for the fur.

"We already did that Princess. Now get up and get dressed. There's a ship coming down."

Clarke looked up from reaching for the blanket with hope in her eyes. She jumped out of bed and started pulling on her clothes. He handed her his shirt when she started to look for hers. She had obviously forgotten that hers was ripped.

Bellamy rummaged around before he pulled out one that he'd hidden away. She raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything. He shrugged at her in reply, it was good to be leader sometimes.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

His shirt hung loosely on her body, his frame so much larger than hers. It smelled of him and she wore it like a badge of honor. She had seen girls leave his tent before but none of them had ever worn his clothing before.

Except her, except Clarke. She was not the rule, she was the exception.

They hurried outside and looked up to the sky. There was an large object moving through the sky at a downward angle. It looked to be coming down from the direction that the Ark was last spotted.

"Your mom's early." she heard Bellamy say behind her.

Clarke grinned as she watched the ship flying across the sky. Her mom was on that first drop ship and she was ready to finally talk to her. She hadn't forgiven her but she was all that Clarke had left in the way of family.

In her delight, it took her a moment to realize that something was off about the scene in front of her.

"Wait. Too fast...no parachute? Something's wrong."

The ship fell from sight behind a hill but a second later there was a flash of light and a loud explosion. From this distance, she could clearly see a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke rising from that direction.

Clarke dropped to her knees in tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I vaguely added another movie reference but it wasn't as obvious as the last one was. It was about being the exception and not the rule. It's from "He's Just Not That Into You". Clarke is Bellamy's exception, that's what makes her so special from the other girls. I really enjoyed that movie so I wanted to add that tiny bit.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I've been thinking that I might take a few days break from the story. Wait…was that the sounds of groans across the world that I just heard? LOL. Seriously guys, most writers seem to take a day or two before posting a new chapter while I'm submitting one every day. And it's not easy writing 1500-2500 words a day, every day of the week. And are you guys still going to want to read this when I'm like 50+ chapters in? 100+ chapters? You see my dilemma?

 

**(CLARKE)**

"No, no, no, no, no" she kept chanting the word as the tears streamed down her face. All she could see was smoke and fire in her mind. That, and the image of her mother's broken and bloody corpse lying in the wreckage.

A sob tore through her body and she was shaking, trying to pull in enough air but there just wasn't enough. There wasn't enough air. She couldn't breathe.

Clarke recognized that she was going into shock and hyperventilating, but found that she just couldn't summon up the ability to care. Her mother was dead. She had died thinking Clarke hated her and now it was too late.

Everyone that Clarke loved died. Wells, her father, and now her mother. Bellamy was all that she had left now. It made her want to lock him someplace safe.

Strong hands encircled her and distantly she heard soothing words whispered in her ear, telling her that she would be okay and to just breathe. She knew it was Bellamy that held her but she just couldn't stop shaking and crying.

After a long moment, he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her against his chest. She buried her head against his shoulder and wept into his new shirt. Clarke knew she needed to calm down before she passed out so she tried to concentrate on his heartbeat. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. It finally distracted her enough that her breathing returned to normal.

Someone opened the tent flap for Bellamy when they arrived and they moved inside, away from prying eyes. He sat on the bed and just held her in his lap, rocking her back and forth while she cried. Clarke knew that Bellamy was worried about her but she just couldn't offer any words of reassurance to him.

Logically, she knew that Bellamy needed to go calm the Hundred. People were no doubt awake and wondering what was going on. She was selfish enough to be glad that he was here with her instead.

Time seemed to stop as she held onto Bellamy. Eventually, Clarke remembered that there were others that would be upset about this new development. There were several others that had a parent in the Guard or were part of the support staff that was to be on that ship.

"You should go out there. Talk to them. Organize a recovery party."

Clarke didn't say a search and rescue because there was no way that anyone could've survived that crash. Bellamy seemed to realize what she wasn't saying and his arms grew tighter around her.

"Miller can handle it."

"They need you Bellamy."

"So do you." Bellamy leaned back to look down into her face and she gave him a small smile. Her heart was breaking but she needed to step up and be a leader. And sometimes that meant putting others before her own selfish needs and wants.

"Always. But I'm a survivor."

He sighed, knowing when he was defeated. "Fine, but I'm sending Octavia in here."

Clarke shrugged, not wanted to fight him on it. He moved her off his lap and onto their bed where she proceeded to curl up on her side. She felt him smooth her hair back from her face and press a kiss to her forehead.

She didn't see him leave but heard the swish of the cloth to indicate that she was now alone.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He hated to leave Clarke but she was right. Not something he usually liked to admit.

There was a large crowd gathered outside and he could hear the fear in their voices as everyone tried to sort out what happened.

"Yo, quiet down!" he yelled to the crowd. They immediately knew to shut up or he wouldn't tell them anything. "Most of you know by now that there was a drop ship coming down and that it crashed. I need several people to help go look for supplies and…bodies."

Bellamy heard a girl cry out and he nodded to one of his lackeys to handle it. The boy grabbed her gently by the elbow and led her off away from the others. They didn't need panic right now and lost loved ones tended to have that effect.

He left Monroe in charge of getting volunteers and went in search of his sister. He saw Octavia standing near the fire and pulled her aside.

"O, I need you to go to my tent and stay with Clarke."

Octavia gave him a puzzled look. "Uh…sure. But what's she doing there?"

Apparently his know-it-all sister wasn't aware of his little….demonstration…with Clarke earlier in the evening. Normally he'd have smirked and made a smart ass comment but now wasn't the time. He needed to make sure Clarke was taken care of before he left.

"She's staying there now."

His sister's eyes widened at that announcement. She started to open her mouth, he was sure with a smart ass remark of her own when he cut her off.

"And O," he paused for effect, "her mom was on that ship."

Octavia's mouth snapped shut. They both knew what it was like to lose a mother. She nodded and turned in the direction of his tent. He knew she would be there for Clarke. That the two of them had become close, almost like sisters, even if such a thing never existed on the Ark.

With Clarke in good hands, he went to Raven and Finn's tent. He was still pissed at the Spacewalker for putting Clarke in danger the other day but he needed his help. The boy was the best tracker they had and if by some chance that Clarke's mom was still alive, Bellamy would need his help to find her.

"Spacewalker. You're coming with."

Finn stepped out and crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. Raven quickly followed him out of the tent and looked back and forth between the two males.

"Why? You don't trust me and I don't trust you."

Bellamy scowled. "This has nothing to do with you and me. This is about Clarke's mom being on that ship."

Finn dropped his defensive position and looked uncertainly at Raven. She looked worried and Bellamy suddenly remembered that she was only down here because of Abby Griffin.

* * *

**(RAVEN)**

Abby was on that crashed ship?

Raven had only spent a short time with Clarke's mom but she knew that she was a better mom than hers had been.

She didn't know what the deal was between Clarke and her mom but she could only imagine what she was going through right now. Her and Clarke may be at odds because of Finn but she would never wish this on anyone.

"I'm coming with."

Finn turned to look at her. "Raven, no. It's not safe."

"Abby should've been with me when I came down here but she wasn't. She held off the guards so that I could launch the shuttle. I owe her everything! So yes Finn, I am coming."

Raven pushed past him and went to the tent holding the weapons and ammo. She knew the danger and wasn't going unarmed. If Abby was alive by some miracle, Raven was going to find her and no one was going to stop her. She owed her that much.

Finn trailed after her, looking concerned.

"Raven...

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it."

She started loading up on bullets and grabbing several weapons for the trip. Everyone needed to be armed now that they were at war with the Grounders.

Raven offered a loaded riffle to him but he refused to take it. She stared at him.

"Are you serious? Finn, take the damn weapon."

"No. Guns aren't the only answer."

She rolled her eyes, tired of this argument. "Whatever."

Raven didn't want to hear it anymore. She loved Finn. He was her entire world yet she was not his world anymore and it hurt. It hurt every time she saw him watching Clarke. When he confided in Clarke and not her.

She wished she could fix them but maybe it was too late for that.

Giving Finn a last look, she turned around and left to join the others waiting at the gate. They were going to look for supplies and the bodies of loved ones. Raven just had one mission though.

Find Abby Griffin.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

After Raven brought the guns, the group set off in the direction of the crash. There were a total of 7 volunteers, including himself, Raven and Finn. Not a large group but hopefully enough to be able to hold off any Grounders that they might encounter.

It took them a few hours to reach their destination and they had to stop several times to rest. Despite their young age, they were used to being cramped on a space station which didn't a lot for a lot of exercise and now they were eating even less. It caused everyone to tire out more quickly.

Bellamy knew it wasn't their fault but the slow progress was gyrating on his nerves. He knew that the likelihood of anyone or anything surviving was slim to none. The time it was taking to get there, along with the initial explosion, nearly guaranteed it.

Yet he had to do this for Clarke. To give her closure if nothing else.

He knew they were close when he could start feeling the smoke getting into his lungs. Everyone was soon coughing as they inhaled more and more smoke. He tried to remember what they were taught on the Ark about fires. They happened so rarely due to the restrictions on the space station that it took him a minute.

"Quick, everyone pull out a bandage and pour water on it . Use it to cover your mouth and nose."

The group pulled out various sized bandages that were brought along with medical supplies in case it was needed. He was thankful that someone remembered it otherwise this trip would be over a lot quicker than than expected.

When they broke through the tree line, they were assaulted with more dense smoke and an almost unbearable heat.

But that wasn't what made the group stop and stare.

It was the sight of twisted metal coming out of a large sized crater in the earth filled with flames rising higher and higher, almost as if to reach for the sky. They all knew then that there would be no recovery mission of any sort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly had no idea that I was going to include a Raven POV when I started this chapter. But when I got to the part about finding Abby, I just KNEW that I had to include Raven. She feels she owes Abby for getting her to Finn and Raven is the type of girl that pays back her debts.
> 
> And did any of y'all see how I used the "I need you, we all need you" again but in reverse? Clever? Why yes, I do think so. LOL.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The response to my last chapter was awesome. Thank you for understanding that I need a day off now and then as well as those that promised to stick with me to the end, how every many chapters down the road that ends up being. I did end up writing a one-shot so check it out - "The Thin Line Between Love and Hate".

 

**(BELLAMY)**

He didn't know what he had been expecting to find when they got here but whatever it was, it wasn't this.

This was large pieces of metal engulfed in flames. If it had once a ship, there was no trace of that structure. It was like the metal imploded on itself, jagged steel twisted every which way.

The crash had created a crater in the ground that looked to be around at least a 50 feet down and maybe half a mile in length, if not more. The ship must have traveling at an extremely high rate of speed to create such a large impact area.

There was no safe way to get down and they didn't have any rope to lower themselves down so all they could do was watch it burn.

Bellamy heard some of the others in the group calling for survivors but he knew no one could have survived this. They all would've been dead the moment of impact, and if not, the fire and smoke would have killed anyone left alive shortly after.

"We need to go back. There's nothing left here."

"No! There must be someone still alive. We should at check to see if we can save them." Raven glared at him, as if he was to blame for this disaster.

"There's no one here to save Raven! They're all dead!" he tried to gentle his voice seeing that this was clearly affecting her, "And we will be too if we don't get out of here before the Grounders come."

Bellamy could see the conflict clearly displayed on her face. Deep down she knew that there was no one alive but she wanted to hope there was. Maybe she had become closer to Clarke's mom than he realized.

He was saved from having to drag her away when Finn walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms, consoling her. Bellamy didn't hear what was said between the two but whatever it was, it got Raven moving along with the rest of the group.

They moved back at a slower pace than they had left at, the importance of hurrying no longer an issue. It would take them twice as long to get back but for once, Bellamy was grateful for the extra time.

He wasn't in a rush to tell Clarke what they had found. Or rather whom they didn't find.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

It was agonizing waiting for news of the second drop ship's fate. Deep down, she suspected that it was a lost cause but not knowing for sure, that was the worst.

Octavia had arrived not long after Bellamy had left, true to his word that he would send her.

They spent the next several hours talking, comparing childhood stories about their mothers. Clarke would have thought it would be too painful but it was surprisingly nice, to remember the good times and her mother's love. Octavia seemed to take comfort from her own memories as well.

Clarke told her about the story of when she was a little girl and she had used a marker to draw Earth animals all over the walls. Abby Griffin wasn't pleased about the damage but she had taken the time to tell Clarke about each and every animal.

The story caused her to start tearing up again.

Octavia then told her about how her mother would read stories to her and Bellamy growing up. Her personal favorite stories were about romances between princes and princesses, where the prince would save the princess.

O thought it was romantic but Bellamy would make gagging sounds during the entire story. He would say that the prince was a wimp and the princess should've saved herself.

That made Clarke laugh. That sounded exactly like something Bellamy would say, especially to his little sister, whom he wanted to be strong and independent.

Apparently, he also had thought that the stories where the rebel or peasant won the princess' heart by being a badass were much better.

Clarke was grateful to Octavia for distracting her and giving her comfort in a way not a lot of people would think to do. She felt like maybe she didn't have just Bellamy but a sister in Octavia as well.

The girls spent the rest of the night trading stories back and forth like this. When one told a sad story, the next would tell a happy one.

After awhile, both girls grew sleepy and they curled up in bed. Clarke fell asleep to thoughts of her mom and the good times that they had shared. It was a wonderful way to fall asleep.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It was almost dawn by the time the search team got back to camp. The sun was just breaking through the trees and if his heart wasn't so heavy, he would've enjoyed the view.

It was easy to forgot sometimes about how beautiful their new world was. The feel of the wind drifting through the trees, the smell of fresh rain, or the sounds of chirping birds.

Bellamy took a moment to take comfort in those things before facing his current problem. Telling Clarke that her mom was dead if she'd been on that ship.

He took a side trip to check the communications tent to see if the radio had started working while they've been gone. It was a slim hope of a chance since Monty had already assured them that it wasn't on their side but it was worth a shot for news of Clarke's mom.

When he got there, Bellamy found Monty asleep in the chair. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for contact from the Ark.

He debated waking the boy, knowing that he must be exhausted but needing the information. Besides, that position didn't look exactly comfortable.

"Monty."

The boy woke at the sound of his name and upon seeing Bellamy standing only a few feet away with a grim look on his face, fell out of his seat onto the ground.

He was quickly back on his feet and mumbling his apologies for falling asleep on duty.

"Relax Monty, it's fine. I just wanted to know if the Ark contacted you at all during the night."

"N..no." he cleared his throat. "No contact. I've checked and rechecked everything. It's not us. Something on the Ark caused the dropped connection. Whatever it was, it can't be good."

Bellamy was afraid of that. He had been hoping to have something else to tell Clarke, that maybe her mother was still up on the Ark. And now there was the bigger problem of what else was happening up there.

"Alright. Go get some sleep. Find someone else to replace you here."

Monty looked ready to argue but Bellamy held up a hand, stopping any further arguments. "That wasn't a question Monty. You won't be any good to us if you're dead on your feet. Just...get some rest."

If someone had told him a few weeks ago that he'd spend his time worrying so much about people other than his sister, he would've laughed and then probably punched them. But now, he took the time to make sure everyone was okay.

it was all Clarke's fault.

She made him care about her and like a disease, it spread until he started to care about others as well. Monty, Jasper, Miller, Monroe and it kept going until he worried about the entire camp. Even Finn to a very small degree, though he still didn't much like the guy.

Bellamy made his way back to his and Clarke's tent...wow, it just dawned on him that they were now cohabiting together.

He stopped in his tracks for second to let that sink in. The thought caused an odd feeling in him, one that he hadn't felt for a long time.

Contentment.

Remembering the reason he was out tonight sobered him up and he finished walking to the tent. He paused outside to listen, wanting to know the mood he was heading into so he could be prepared.

When he didn't hear anything, he cautiously headed inside.

The sight that greeted him made his heart expand in his chest. His two loves were lying side by side on the bed, sound asleep. Octavia, his sister and Clarke, his soulmate.

He didn't want to wake them so he sat down next to the bed, content to watch over them.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

When she woke up, it took her a moment to realize where she was. While she had fallen asleep here before while taking care of Bellamy, it was a different feeling to be here this morning.

The events came back to her in a flash. Saving the Grounder, Bellamy's public kiss, his admission of love and finally, the crashed ship.

It was the last thought that brought the tears back and she sat up, immediately looking for Bellamy.

Clarke found him only a few feet away towards the end of the bed. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the bed and his legs bent. Bellamy had his arms wrapped around his legs and his head was resting on his knees.

He was asleep.

She felt guilty that he had slept that way when he was the one that had gone out to search for the ship while she slept on the bed.

Octavia was still asleep so Clarke slipped from the bed quietly and knelt by Bellamy. She ran her hand through his thick disheveled hair and it woke him. He glanced at her with bleary eyes.

"Hey...you should get in bed and rest. You look exhausted."

"Clarke...your mom..."

"Shhhh...not now. We'll talk later."

She already knew what he was going to tell her by the look in his eyes. They were filled with such pain and understanding but she wasn't ready to hear it out loud right now. So instead, Clarke tugged on his arm and he eventually let her help him up into the bed. She covered him with the blanket and he was asleep within seconds.

It must have been a hard night for him too.

She pulled on her boots and jacket then went outside. There was still plenty of work to do at camp and it was her turn to step up as leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that there have been several questions about Abby and if she survived. I promise that I will answer them but I'm not the kind of writer that gives instant gratification so I'm afraid you will have to wait. Try not to hate me for it! Anyways, I hope the chapter was satisfactory enough for you all despite the extra day wait.


	17. Chapter 17

 

**(CLARKE)**

The pain of losing her mother threatened to consume her. So Clarke did the only thing she could think of.

She put it in a box.

It wasn't a real box. Just a trick that her mom had taught her when she was growing up when anything became too much.

Abby told her to imagine a box in her head, something hard and sturdy with a lock on it. Take whatever it was that was bothering her and shove it in there. Close it up tight and lock it. Don't think of the box or what's in it until she was ready.

Today was a day for the box.

She put all her energy on focusing on the immediate concerns of the Grounders and the upcoming winter.

They had already set up a group of workers to start the planning of buildings that would help keep them warm. Someone had remembered reading about the different type of housing structures that were used by the Native Americans and after some debate, it was decided that the best one to make was something called a longhouse.

A longhouse was built out of a pole frame with elm bark for covering. They could be built to house up to 60 people in just one of them, which meant that the Hundred would have to build two to house everyone.

Right now, they were gathering supplies and making plans on where to put the buildings but construction would start soon.

Bellamy had taken over security and defense for the camp as he was the most qualified with his guard training. He had recently started training hand-to-hand combat to several members of the Hundred and there were still gun training sessions. Clarke knew that there would be causalities if Grounders attacked so she focused on having enough supplies to be able to save as many as she could.

Her morning was spent categorizing and listing supplies in her notebook. She wanted a list of each plant's medicinal purposes and how much to use for each ailment. In case something happened to her, the rest would need to know what to do.

She was thankful that her medical training included plants, for the Ark always had the hope that they would one day return to Earth and would need to know. Whatever she didn't know, then Monty helped her figure out. He was a godsend for Clarke as he had a fondness for knowledge and had spent a lot of his extra time reading books back on the Ark.

So far they had found several plants that helped to sedate patients, relieve pain, reduce fever and a host of common uses. They were still looking for a specific herb to help prevent or reduce fertility.

Back on the Ark, women were fitted with IUDs once they experienced menstruation. They lasted up to 5 years before a new one was put in. Clarke had hers put in when she was 12 but by the time she was due to have another implanted, she was locked up.

The Ark didn't waste resources on people they intended to float.

Clarke figured that at least half the females still had their IUDs in place but the other half...there was the potential for pregnancies in the very near future.

After the first few days of their carefree attitude, Clarke had managed to convince the girls to be more careful and track their menstrual cycles to avoid having sex during ovulation. It wasn't a perfect system but it was all they had.

Clarke was thankful to have had her period a few days after having sex with Finn so she didn't have to worry about that particular mistake haunting her for the rest of her life.

However, she did have legitimate concerns about her and Bellamy's late night activities. She'd been as careful as she could be but accidents happen.

Another thought to put in the box.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

By the time he left his tent, both Clarke and Octavia were already up and about. He didn't want to get up yet and have that talk with Clarke. She had ducked out of it before this morning but they needed to get it over with.

Then maybe she could start the process of picking up the pieces of her broken heart because he knew that's what it would be when they were done. He just hoped she would let him help put her heart back together.

When he got outside, he could see everyone was in full swing of the day's chores. Bellamy went on the hunt for Clarke, knowing that she would go where she felt the most comfortable. The med bay area of the drop ship.

Bellamy took a moment to watch her when he arrived.

Clarke was compiling a list, if the notebook and pencil in her hands were anything to go by. That and she kept checking and re-checking the supplies. Her mouth moved silently, as if she was counting and she then would make a note in the pad.

"Princess."

Clarke didn't look at him immediately but he saw her pause in her count. She put down the pad and pencil on the table with shaky hands.

She knew why he was there.

"Don't say it Bellamy."

"We don't know for sure that your mom..."

"Please? Just stop? I can't do this right now."

Bellamy could hear the tears in her voice and he walked over to her, turning her around to face him. She had a tear running down her cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then what do you need love?"

"I need...I need..." she looked around the room, "...more supplies."

"Uh...I thought you already had enough." he gestured towards the supplies she had just been counting.

"That's just our regular supply. If we  _are_  at war, then we'll need more. We don't know what the Grounders can or will do."

Bellamy sighed, knowing that Clarke needed this and that he wasn't going to deny her. Especially when it served the dual purpose of keeping people alive and helping her control a small portion of her life.

"Princess, get your shit together. We're leaving in 10."

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She almost had laughed when Bellamy had told her to get her stuff. It was the exact same words he had used last time they went on a trip alone together.

And that trip was the start of them.

Clarke knew it was Bellamy's way of telling her that he had her back and that she would be okay.

They left shortly after, walking towards the river so that Clarke could gather more seaweed and several plants along the way. It was to be a short trip as Bellamy was worried about the Grounders attacking them.

She spent her time looking for a weed that she had remembered in an old plant guidebook called smartweed. The leaves were supposed to be able to help stop implantation and was considered a natural birth control method. They would just need to boil it in some water and the women would need to drink it after they had...relations...for several days following.

Clarke didn't find it but she still had hope. It supposedly grew everywhere so it was just a matter of time.

Bellamy didn't let her linger long along the trail and soon they were at the river. He was twitchy and nervous about being out in the open. Pacing back and forth, his eyes trying to watch all directions.

"Hurry it up Clarke."

"I'm trying but your pacing isn't helping."

"Well I'm sorry but it's too dangerous to be out in the open here. We need to go. Now."

Clarke wanted to get more seaweed but she didn't want to push her luck with Bellamy. The more time she took, the more pissy he got. It was was just how he ticked. She knew it was because he was trying to protect but it didn't mean that it didn't annoy her to a degree.

Soon enough, they were headed back and the closer they got to camp, the more relaxed Bellamy got.

That was until she saw a flash of red in the corner of her eye.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

When he saw Clarke's head suddenly whip to the side, he knew immediately that shit was about to go down. He just needed to make sure Clarke was safe first.

He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "You need to run now Princess. And don't look back, no matter what."

Bellamy could see the fear in her eyes and he wished he could erase it for her. Tell her that they would be okay but instead, he gave her a quick kiss and pushed her towards the camp.

"Run Clarke."

He saw her hesitate before she turned and started sprinting. He aimed his gun in the direction that she had seen movement. After a second, he caught a flash of black and red but it looked like it was still off in the distance.

Bellamy waited a few minutes and when he didn't see any Grounders bursting through the trees, ready to attack him, he started walking again. He still felt uneasy, almost like he was being watched but still, nothing happened.

He knew that some of the camp's guards would soon be arriving. Clarke would've called for them the moment she got back.

He saw a flash of color and turned to see one of the Hundred looking back at him but it wasn't someone from camp. It was a face he never thought he'd see again.

John Murphy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got serious writer's block on this chapter and I'm not sure how much I like this chapter or if any of you will either. Just remember that I tried. I did veer off from the TV show obviously but am still using their plot points to a degree so it was harder to mesh this time around.
> 
> Also, I did do some research on this and longhouses were used in the New England area by the Iroquois tribe as there are elm trees present there. AND, there is such a thing called smartweed that does exactly what I said it does. So...yeah. Yay for being smart and shit! LOL.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another epic episode last night! I used it again to mesh with my story but had to obviously cut certain parts out or change them to fit my story. You guys haven't seemed to mind before so I'm hoping that's still the case.

 

**(BELLAMY)**

Murphy stared back at him and Bellamy took in the look of him, bloody and bruised. His whole body was shaking and there was a frightened look on his face. Before Bellamy could even decide how to proceed, they weren't alone anymore. Clarke had brought others from camp to rescue him.

They all just stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Murphy finally spoke up, "I was running from the Grounders."

Instantly everyone was on the alert and looking around the woods.

"Anyone see Grounders?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Well, in that case-" Bellamy lifted his weapon again and aimed at Murphy.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Apparently Clarke had also brought Spacewalker with the group as he suddenly appeared and grabbed Bellamy's rifle in an attempt to push it down. Finn then stepped in front of Bellamy when he tried to aim his sights back at Murphy.

"We were clear what would happen if he came back."

"No. If he was with the Grounders, then he knows things that can help us."

"Help us? We hanged him. We banished him, and now we're gonna kill him. Get the hell out of my way."

"No. Finn is right." 

Bellamy stood in shock as he heard Clarke agree with Finn. She knew that Murphy was bad news. He was the reason for Charlotte's death.

"Like hell he is. Clarke, think about Charlotte!" he pleaded with her.

"I am thinking about her, but what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as his."

He watched as Clarke walked over to Murphy to check him over. Bellamy wanted to yank her away from him but knew that would only make matters worse with her.

"He's not lying. His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

Finn piped up, "You and the Grounders should compare notes."

"The grounders know we're at war." He turned back to Murphy because if he looked at Spacewalker for one more second, he was going to punch him. "What did you tell them about us?"

"Everything."

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

They all agreed that they would get the information from Murphy about the Grounders and that he would have to leave afterwards. And if he didn't...then they would kill him. Murphy was transported back to the camp and was escorted into the drop ship where it would be easier to keep an eye on him.

Afterwards, Clarke went to the communications tent and found Raven working on the radio. No one had been able to make contact with the Ark and it was troubling them all.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here."

Raven stood up when she saw Clarke enter the tent. The two girls were feeling awkward around each other and neither knew what to say.

"Clarke, wait."

She had been about to leave when Raven's words stopped her. Clarke was slightly afraid of what the girl was about to say as she didn't really want to talk about Finn right now.

"I'm sorry about your mom."

Those weren't the words that she had been expecting to hear her say. The box in her head started to crack.

"Oh, my God Clarke. Your eyes."

When she reached up to touch right below her eyelid, her hand found something wet but it was thicker than tears. Clarke pulled her hand away and stared down at the blood on her fingertips.

This was not good.

Off in the distance, she could hear Connor calling her name and inquiring to her whereabouts. He sounded nearby and in a panic.

She rushed out of the tent, Raven following behind her as they went to investigate.

What she saw caused her alarm. Both Connor and Derek, the boys that had helped bring in Murphy, were coughing up blood.

"Raven, get away from us."

Raven looked at Clarke in confusion, "What?"

"They're the ones who brought Murphy in."

She raced off to the drop ship to get answers.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He had heard the commotion from the gate where he had been walking the perimeter to check for weak points. There were loud cries and people yelling to others to get back.

Bellamy ran to the gate.

Both the guards that had brought in Murphy were kneeling on the ground, looking pale. Raven was standing nearby looking concerned. They looked like they needed a doctor.

"Clarke?"

She nodded towards the drop ship.

He rushed inside and found Clarke kneeling by Murphy. She looked up when he came in and he felt true fear for the first time in days.

Clarke's eyes were rimmed with blood.

She held up a hand to stop him from coming closer. "Bellamy, stay back."

"Did he do something to you?"

She shook her head in response.

"What the hell is this?"

Clarke looked scared and hesitant to answer his question. He soon knew why.

"Biological warfare."

Bellamy swallowed past the lump in his throat. The Grounders had sent in a virus to kill them all and Clarke was already infected.

"You were waiting for the Grounders to retaliate for the bridge? This is it. Murphy is the weapon."

He wanted to kill Murphy more than ever. That asshole had infected Clarke with a virus.

"Is this your revenge, helping the Grounders kill us?"

Murphy protested that he didn't know anything about it but Bellamy could barely hear it. He was too busy envisioning his hands around the boy's neck and squeezing the life out of it.

He stepped forward, intending to do just that when Clarke threw out her hand to stop him.

"Hey, don't! Whatever this this is, it spreads through contact."

Clarke was telling him that he couldn't touch Murphy. Or her.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She wished more than anything that she could reach out and touch Bellamy but she couldn't risk him getting sick as well. They needed at least one leader alive.

Derek had died shortly after their talk, coughing on his own blood. Clarke and Conner were getting worse by the minute and she didn't want to have Bellamy watch her die too.

Bellamy finally left the drop ship after much pleading and cajoling from Clarke. He wasn't going to give in until Connor mentioned that Octavia had helped Murphy with his wounds when Clarke had left earlier.

Clarke knew she couldn't forgive herself if something happened to Octavia because she had left. She wondered if Bellamy could either.

There was a sudden influx of patients experiencing similar symptoms as well as others that were reported to have had contact with Murphy. They were setting up a quarantine system in order to help keep the rest of the camp uninfected.

Bellamy returned after awhile with Octavia in tow. Clarke checked her over and found no symptoms, which she took as a good sign and gave her an idea.

"OK, we're done. No visible signs of swelling or bleeding."

"So you're saying she doesn't have it?"

"I'm saying she doesn't have symptoms, but that could change. We need to keep her here just in case."

Clarke could see the instant denial in his face as she had been speaking. She knew it was hard on him just to let Clarke stay here and she  _was_ sick.

"No way. Look at this place. She'll get sick just being here."

"Do you want to stop the spread or not?"

Clarke hated to manipulate Bellamy like this but she knew it was the only way. She needed Octavia here and away from Bellamy's ever watchful eyes. She saw the indecision in his face and gave one last push.

"Look, I'll keep her on the third level with the people who aren't symptomatic yet. Think of it as a way to stop her from sneaking out again."

Octavia looked hurt at Clarke's suggestion, "Screw you, Clarke."

Clarke ignored her for the time being, she would fix that problem in a minute but first, she needed to convince Bellamy.

"I'll let you know if her condition changes."

Bellamy finally nodded and walked away, leaving his sister in her hands. Clarke just hoped that he wouldn't come to hate her for what she was about to do next.

Octavia started up the ladder towards the third level when Clarke stopped her.

"Octavia, wait. I need you to sneak out again."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

It was late afternoon when he saw Clarke again. A crowd had gathered outside the drop ship as another body was removed. The count had rised to 3 so far since the infection had started.

"All right. Show's over. Get back to your posts."

Bellamy walked towards the bottom of the landing and looked at Clarke; she was pale and sweating.

He couldn't bear to lose her.

"You got enough food in there? Water?"

"Yeah. Some medicine might be nice." Even now, sick as she was, she was trying for humor. To give him comfort.

He grinned at her, delighted that she was well enough to joke with him.

"I'll see what I can do."

She nodded and started back for the ship. Knowing that Clarke was so sick made him worry about Octavia.

"Octavia, you okay?"

He saw Clarke pause and turn around. He knew by the look on her face that he was about to get some bad news. He started for the ship, if they were both sick then he wasn't going to stay away any longer.

They went, he went.

"Bellamy, wait. She's not here. I sent her to see Lincoln."

He stopped, feeling like she had punched him in the stomach. Clarke had sent O to see that Grounder?

"Look. If there's a cure, he has it. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't let her go."

He slowly shook his head in disbelief. She had tricked him? He felt betrayed by Clarke, even if he understood why she had done it.

"If anything happens to her, you and me are gonna have problems."

Bellamy walked off, pissed at both her and his sister. He could hear Clarke calling his name but he ignored it. If he didn't walk away now, he knew he'd say something he'd regret.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

It killed her to see that hurt look on Bellamy's face. And she had been the one to put it there.

Clarke saw him walk to the gate to go after his sister but suddenly he stopped. He started telling one of the guards to go to the dropship and guns were being aimed at the boy.

Then a girl dropped to the ground and coughed up blood into the face of another boy. The boy freaked out and before she could take another breath, several people were pointing guns at each other and shouting.

She knew that if she didn't do something that someone would get seriously hurt.

Bellamy and Finn were trying to calm the crowd when she came back from the ship with a gun. Clarke fired a few shots in the air and everyone froze.

They all turned to look at her.

"This is exactly what the Grounders want. Don't you see that? They don't have to kill us if we kill each other first."

A boy whose name she didn't know stepped forward, aiming a gun at her. She felt a trickle of fear that he might actually shoot her.

"They won't have to kill us if we all catch the virus. Get back in the damn drop ship."

Clarke watched as Bellamy grabbed the gun with both hand and lifted it out of his hands, elbowing the boy in the throat as he did. The boy tumbled back, grasping at his throat.

Apparently the boy had thought that their public fight meant that Bellamy would suddenly be onboad with aiming a gun at her. She was relieved to see that he wasn't.

Bellamy looked at her for a long moment.

"Not to state the obvious, but your quarantine isn't working."

Clarke wanted to tell him that she was sorry again but she was feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Her arm started to feel weak and the gun fell from her grip to the ground. She felt her knees give out and knew that she was going to hit the ground.

She didn't.

There was a pair of warm hands grabbing her and swinging her up into their arms as she fell. The person cradled them against their chest and Clarke felt safe.

Bellamy.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

When he saw Clarke start to fall, his heart jumped into this throat. She was dying and he was being petty and stubborn by being mad at her when all she had wanted was to save everyone.

He felt like the asshole that Clarke always called him out as.

Bellamy grabbed her and saw out of the corner of his eye that Finn had started to move as well. He got to Clarke first and was thankful that he had been closer to her instead of Spacewalker.

"Hey, let me go. I'm okay."

"No, you're not."

"Octavia will come back with a cure."

No sooner than the words had left her mouth then someone pushed through the crowd.

"There is no cure..." Octavia had returned and was out of breath, "But the Grounders don't use the sickness to kill. They are coming at first light to attack us."

The crowd stated murmuring to each other. Bellamy wanted to calm them but first, he needed to tend to Clarke. She was limp in his arms and looked about ready to pass out.

Octavia noticed Clarke's condition and ran up to them. She looked worried and that made Bellamy worry.

"Come on. I'll help you get Clarke into the drop ship."

They were walking into inside when he heard Clarke whisper to him, sounding so weak that it was like a physical pain for him to hear her like that.

"What do I have to do to stop you from coming in here?"

He smirked at her, "Get better."

Bellamy looked around for a place to lay her when Murphy offered up his hammock. Not wanting to refuse, he laid Clarke down. He didn't trust Murphy but he appreciated the gesture.

He turned to Octavia, "What else did the Grounder tell you?"

"The virus doesn't last long."

Murphy looked over at them from his new spot on the floor, "It's true, I feel better."

"They need to stay hydrated." Clarke, always worried about everyone else but herself. Bellamy only cared about her at the moment.

"You need to stay hydrated." He pushed down on her gently when she tried to get up.

Stubborn woman.

With Octavia's help, Clarke was able to drink some water but then pushed the cup back into O's hands.

"Okay, them too." When his sister hesitated, Clarke begged, "Please?"

She patted Clarke's knee. "It's okay. I'll do it."

Octavia left to go give water to the rest of the sick with Murphy's help, surprisingly enough. Clarke looked to him and he got that sense again that she was going to say something he wouldn't like. But then she wouldn't be his Princess if she didn't.

"You need to save yourselves. Just leave camp. Take anyone healthy enough with you."

"If you think that's even a possibility Princess, you don't know me very well."

"I know you."

He saw the look of love in her eyes and knew that she didn't want him to die too. Clarke wanted to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I had Bellamy be the one to catch her instead of Finn. If you are a purist then I'm sorry but I still thought the move and lines were capable of being said by Bellamy too. And yes, I didn't finish the episode but there is so much to go over! I will probably finish the episode in the next chapter as well as start back with just my original content.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Releasing 2 chapters on 2 different stories on the same day = exhausting. I do hope you guys enjoy my hard work! Again, had to make cuts and changes here and there but I think that it worked out okay. Did you guys think this chapter turned okay? Also, don't forget to check out the newest chapter to The Thin Line Between Love and Hate!
> 
> And seriously, for those that common on every chapter, THANK YOU! It means a lot to hear what you guys think on every time I post. I've written so many chapters that I'm starting to wonder if I'm still keeping everyone interested. I try to add some humor in my story but am I hitting the mark? And yes, sometimes the Bellarke scenes are subtle and sometimes they aren't. They have more than just their relationship going on so please try to keep that in mind!
> 
> For those that comment every few chapters, I appreciate it every single time! I know you have busy lives so I don't expect it every chapter. I love that you make the effort at all! Please don't think I don't love you just as much!

 

**(BELLAMY)**

Wishing he could stay with Clarke but knowing he had to take care of the camp, he went in search of Raven.

They needed a way to stop the Grounders from attacking them to allow everyone to recover from the virus.

When he arrived at the weapons tent, she was working on making more bullets but there was only enough gunpowder to allot for 5 bullets to a clip. Jasper, Monty and Harper, a girl Bellamy vaguely remembered as being part of the camps guard, were all helping her.

Bellamy started to help to load up the weapons and get them on the wall when Finn burst into the tent.

"What do we need to build a bomb?"

That was unexpected as Finn was anti-violence, it was why he had gone to the Grounders for a peace treaty in the first place. Bellamy wondered where he was going with this.

"Depends on what you're trying to blow up." Raven apparently was also intrigued by Finn's train of thought as well.

"How about a bridge?"

Bellamy was getting tired of the run-around. "What are you talking about?"

"Murphy says he crossed a bridge on his way back here from the Grounders' camp. Sound familiar?" Finn gave him a pointed look and Bellamy knew he was referring to the bridge where everything had gone to hell just a few days before.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So the virus is fast. He's already getting better. Blowing the bridge won't stop the attack, but the longer we can delay it, the more of us will be able to fight."

The idea was starting to take root but Bellamy was unsure of how they were going to accomplish what Finn was suggesting.

"Even if Murphy is telling the truth, and that's a big if, that bridge has survived a nuclear war and 97 years of weather."

Raven got a thoughtful look on her face, "It won't survive me."

Everyone looked at her in question and she was quick to explain that they might be able to find rocket fuel at the wreckage now that the fire seemed to have dissipated from last night. Raven said it was a long shot but worth a try.

Bellamy sent her to run to the site to get what they needed. They didn't have a lot of time so he told her to take what she needed with her to set it off. Finn and Jasper volunteered to go with to help her, which made sense since they were the only ones not sick that would be of use.

He would have gone as well but he knew he couldn't.

His nose had started to bleed.

"Hey, big brother."

He was turned on his side, coughing up blood which spewed on the floor. When he was rolled onto his back again, he realized his sister there, wiping his face of the blood and sweat.

He didn't remember being brought to the ship.

Octavia looked worried about him, which couldn't be a good sign. First Clarke and now him. Everyone was getting sick and dying. The Grounders were coming to kill them. Hope was lost.

"I'm scared."

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"That's what I said to you the day you were born." If he didn't feel so awful, he would have smiled at her attempt to comfort him.

"I know. You told me that, like...a thousand times."

He clutched her hand to his chest, not wanting to let go. Afraid to lose this fragile connection to life as he battled for his.

"I'm glad you're here."

"Just get some rest now, okay?"

Bellamy battled back tears but nodded, he didn't want to upset Octavia more than he had to. He closed his eyes and tried to rest for her sake.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She woke up when she heard Bellamy tell someone to get away from him. Clarke had seen him earlier but was still too weak to go to him, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Looking over, she saw Murphy trying to give Bellamy some water but he was refusing it.

Clarke was feeling better already and knew that she was on the mend. She pulled herself out of the hammock and walked over before things got ugly.

Bellamy still hadn't forgiven Murphy for what happened to Charlotte.

"When I get better, if you're still here-" Bellamy was starting to threaten Murphy when she came up.

"Hey, I got this one."

Murphy looked at her for a moment then handed her the cup of water he had been trying to offer. She took it and sat beside Bellamy on the floor; he looked like death.

Clarke handed Bellamy the cup and this time he took it without complaint. She put a hand on his back, missing his touch. Missing him.

Bellamy looked her over and she could tell that he was still worried for her. Even when he was sick, he still looked to make sure she was okay.

Clarke leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. It was over quickly so she pressed her forehead against his, just needing the contact.

"You feeling better?"

She smiled, wanting to reassure him and knowing he needed it, "Yeah."

"That's good."

They sat like that for another minute before Bellamy pulled back and looked around again.

"You seen Octavia?"

"She was up all night helping people. Murphy gave her a break."

Bellamy looked at her in disbelief, "Don't tell me you trust him now."

"Trust? No." she shook her head. "I do believe in second chances, though."

At that, she gave Bellamy a long look. Clarke wanted him to remember that if she hadn't given him a second chance, they wouldn't be together, let alone getting along enough to lead the Hundred.

Bellamy looked off to the side. She had a feeling that he was remembering why he needed that second chance. When he looked back, he had his leader face on again.

"It's almost dawn. Better get everyone inside. If we lock the doors, maybe the Grounders will think we're not home."

Clarke noticed the change in subject but didn't press it. She had made her point. "Not everyone's sick."

"Sick is better than dead."

"You don't think Finn and Jasper are gonna pull it off." She had been aware enough the last few hours to know what was going on.

Bellamy just looked at her, "Do you?"

After thinking about the last encounter with the Grounders, she realized that she was hesitant to trust that the two boys would be able to pull it off. Raven was with them so that gave her hope but she needed to be cautious about the lives that were counting on them.

"I'll get everyone inside."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

The sun was just coming up over the skyline and there was a scent of fear in the air at camp.

Clarke and he were rushing to get everyone inside before the attack came. There was still no sign that the bomb had been successful.

There was a loud rumble and the ground shook slightly beneath his feet. Everyone turned to the sky and saw a mushroom cloud appear overhead. It looked like the pictures of an atomic bomb that they had all studied in class.

"They did it."

He heard Clarke whisper, almost to herself, "I am become death, destroyer of worlds."

Bellamy turned his attention away from the explosion to look at her. She sounded so lost.

"It's Oppenheimer, the man who built the first-"

"I know who Oppenheimer is."

Clarke looked at him in surprise and he smirked. Princess wasn't the only one who knew things.

It was dark when Bellamy finally tracked down Clarke again.

He had looked all over camp for her and couldn't find her. The scare with the virus still had him on edge and he wanted her with him at all times until he knew for sure that the danger had passed.

Bellamy breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her and walked over.

"You're outside of the wall without a gun."

He felt like this was a conversation that they'd had before. Clarke just gave him a look before turning to look at the newly dug graves in the ground.

"14 graves."

Bellamy could see the heartbreak in her eyes at all the death before them. They had lost so many, so soon. He pulled her into a hug and tried to change the subject.

"We need to talk about Murphy."

"He was right about the bridge."

"We'll see. Octavia says the mountain men are pissed, whatever that means."

Octavia had disappeared again some time during the day to see her Grounder but had returned early afternoon to relay more information that she had gotten.

"I'd say it means we need as many soldiers as we can get."

Bellamy raised an eyebrow at her, skeptical, "So, what, we have pardon power now?"

"It's hard running things." she threw his words back at him with a smirk. It would be Clarke to remember what he had said when he was trying to make a point and use it against him.

Clarke glanced back at the graves, "14."

He kept an arm around her shoulder and tugged her towards the gate.

"Come on Princess, let's go home to our tent. We'll save the day again tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wished there was a way I could've included the scene with Raven and Finn at the end but since he didn't catch Clarke in my story and I cut the part where he hesitated at the bomb, it wouldn't have made sense. But honestly, that scene freaking broke my heart. Poor Raven!
> 
> P.S. I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes that you find. I re-read it like twice but I'm sure I missed some.


	20. Chapter 20

 

**(CLARKE)**

She woke up the next day, feeling infinitely better than yesterday and felt a sense of relief. Clarke was able to take a deep breath without coughing and her body felt stronger.

The sickness was truly passing.

Clarke took a look over her shoulder and saw Bellamy stretched out his side of the bed, an arm thrown over his eyes to block out the light. His hair was sticking up in different ways and she had to resist the urge to smooth it out.

Bellamy needed his rest to continue recovering from his bout of sickness. Though he did look awfully cute with the messy hair and sleep lines on his cheek.

As soon as she exited the tent, she was nearly blinded by the bright sun. Being stuck in the drop ship for over a day and bleeding from her eyes seemed to make her sensitive to the light this morning.

Seeing the wash tent, Clarke headed off to that direction for a rinse. There was still some blood caked to her body from her own illness as well as from helping the Hundred recover.

The water was freezing cold but it did its job in removing the dirt and blood from her face and arms. The camp had set up using rain water they collected that funneled down into a nozzle that could be turned on and off. It had a sheet up to allow for privacy so that a one could undress in relative safety.

"Hey Clarke."

Monty had come into the tent and started washing his hands. Whatever he was working on had caused dirt to get all over his arms and face.

"Hey Monty. Any word on the Ark?"

A frown appeared on his face and Clarke had her answer.

"No, still no word. Whatever happened up there, it must have been serious enough for them to go this long without contacting us."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."

They didn't speak again for a minute, both deep in thought. Clarke glanced at the shower again in envy and an idea came to her.

"Monty, do we still have some empty food bins?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Like 3 or 4." he gave her a puzzled look, "Why?"

"I'm thinking that it's time for a bath and clean clothes."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

When he woke up, he was alone in the tent. Bellamy much preferred to wake up with Clarke still in bed so that he could wake her up in the most delightful ways.

Probably just as well that she wasn't since he was still feeling off-balance from the virus. He had been one of the last to get sick so he was one of the last to recover.

He went in search of Clarke and found her by the fire talking excitedly with Monty. She was gesturing towards the fire pit while she spoke and Bellamy found himself wondering what those two had thought up now.

Bellamy walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek. Now that he didn't have to hide their relationship anymore, he was taking full advantage of the situation.

"-all we need to do then is mix the lye, water and animal fat to make soap."

"That's a lot of work Clarke." Monty seemed impressed with the idea though.

"Well yeah, but it'll keep us clean and help avoid more common illness besides just using the alcohol. It's just as complicated as your moonshine is."

Clarke was fighting for the soap and Bellamy thought it was a good idea. This last virus had killed 14 people by last count and while it may have not been avoided, certainly other types would be with more precaution.

"I agree with Clarke. Monty, get whatever you need."

Monty left and went off to work on this new project, leaving Clarke and Bellamy alone at the fire. The rest of the camp was still recovering or guarding the wall, so they had a few minutes to themselves.

Clarke turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him with concern.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Not great but better."

She nodded in understanding. They had lived where others had not. It was nothing more than pure luck that they had.

"Listen Bellamy-" she paused as if to consider her next words, "we need to get people clean. The best way to do that is to go to the pond to wash up. Plus it would be good for morale."

He sighed, knowing he should have seen this coming when he heard her talking about soap. Clarke was the heart of the group while he was the muscle.

"We can't take the risk. The Grounders will be looking for payback for the bridge and we'll be vulnerable."

"Bells, we all need a bath...some more than others." Ahh, apparently his sister had overheard their conversation.

Bellamy saw Octavia standing nearby and groaned. Looking back and forth between the two women in his life, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Clarke, don't ask me to be okay with this."

"I'm not asking for your permission Bellamy. I am just advising you of my course of action." she would have seemed very diplomatic if not for the mischievous look in her eyes.

"No one goes by themselves. You go in large groups, someone to guard for every girl. Then when they finished washing, you switch. Keep it quick and don't linger. If you're gone too long, I'm sending the boys to come looking."

As he rattled of instructions, Bellamy knew that threat would do it for most of the girls. Some of them might not mind being caught by the boys usually but not with the current dangers facing them.

The girls grinned at him in delight and they ran off to tell everyone else.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

It was easy to gather all the girls once word got out that they were going to go bath in the pond. They didn't have the time to wash their clothing and allow them to dry but at least their bodies and hair would be clean.

Once they made the soap though, then they could wash their clothes back at camp using a small amount of rain water. Things were looking up for once.

Clarke found Raven on the beach after her bath and went to check on her, worried because Raven had such a heartbreaking expression on her face.

They weren't friends but it looked like Raven could use one.

"Um, so, is everything alright? You look upset."

Raven looked at her and Clarke it was then that she noticed her necklace missing. The girl never took it off so Clarke wondered if she had lost it. It would explain the look.

"We broke up."

"Huh?"

"Finn and I broke up. He doesn't love me, not like I want to be loved. Not like he loves you."

"Oh."

Clarke was at a loss to what to say to her. She had no interest in Finn. It was clear that she had made her choice and it was Bellamy.

"I'm sorry Raven. It was never my intention to come between you."

Raven nodded but didn't say anything else.

On the way back, Clarke noticed that a new grave had been dug since last night. Everyone had been on the mend when she had left them last night so the extra grave confused her.

Clarke left the group to track down one of the guards to ask who had died during the night. She found Jackson, a younger guard that she had helped patch up a few times, on patrol at the gate.

"It was Connor. Choked on his own blood in the night. No one heard him I guess."

"Connor? Are you sure?"

"Yep. Helped dig the grave myself."

Connor was infected when she was by Murphy and last she had checked, had been on the mend. In fact, she had been sure that he was going to live. So that didn't explain how he suddenly took a turn for the worse. It bothered her that he was dead for some reason, more than the others.

If she knew more about the virus then she'd have answers or theories but with nothing to go on, all she could do was ponder.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously guys, beta readers are the best ever. If you write, consider asking someone to read your work before posting it. I write late at night and I still can find someone. This most recent chapter was checked by the awesome francyfifty on Tumblr.
> 
> Warning: I don't know why I still feel the need to add these because if you've been reading my story so far, then you know I'm gonna have sex scenes in it. BUT, in case you like the heads up, here it is. You've been warned that there is hot, steamy sex in my story =)

 

**(CLARKE)**

A few hours later found everyone scrubbed clean from the pond and in a better mood than that morning. There was still a note of silent grief in the camp; so many had been lost in a single day.

Clarke spent the rest of the afternoon helping Monty make the soap as it was time-consuming work. The first part of the project involved making the needed lye before mixing it with the other ingredients.

The process consisted of leaching water through wood ashes taken from the fire pit using a filter system involving several containers. Monty and Clarke finished one batch by evening and were eager to test it out.

They took the limited amount of spare clothes that was on hand and set about trying to wash them. Monty had found a piece of metal that bent back and forth like a washboard and had given it to Clarke to use.

She grabbed a shirt that had seen better days and soaked it in the water for a minute. The soap resembled a bar but the mold wasn't perfect, so it had odd bumps sticking out here and there.

Clarke dipped the bar into the water and rubbed it against the shirt to create a lather before returning the soap into Monty's hands. Using the "washboard", Clarke ran the fabric up and down, until sure that she had gotten the entire piece. After swishing the shirt around in the water, she pulled it out to examine it.

"Wow, it freaking worked." Monty exclaimed behind her.

It was true, the shirt looked infinitely better than it had before they washed it.

Clarke grinned at Monty. "We did it. We'll have clean clothes again."

Monty shared a grin with her, excited about the future possibilities that this would mean.

"Clean hair."

"Sanitation."

The list went on for a minute before they got back to cleaning the rest of the spare clothes. Clean items were hung up over a dead wire that someone had looped up between two trees for their experiment.

"Since everyone can't just walk around naked and we don't have enough to spare clothes for each person, we'll have to figure out a way for people to wash their personal stuff."

Clarke watched as Monty thought this new dilemma over. She didn't want people walking around half-naked but it took awhile for garments to dry. It would also be dangerous to do that when it was colder out and the risk of hypothermia was greater.

"Well...we have some spare blankets that they could wrap themselves in while their clothes are still damp. The group will just have to stay inside the drop ship to help with the cold and the clothes will have to dry in the daytime or by the fire."

It wasn't a perfect plan but it was the best they had for the time being.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

When he found Clarke later, she was laying out several items of wet clothing over several rocks and tree stumps surrounding the fire.

She looked happy about the progress on her project. It pleased him that she was able to find such joy in something as small and simple as soap.

"Hey Princess. I take it we now have clean clothes?"

Clarke turned to him, beaming. "Yes! We won't be able to clean them everyday but it's a start."

Bellamy walked over and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Clarke returned the hold and smiled up at him.

"So does that mean you can't get mad at me anymore when I get you dirty?" he winked at her.

She blushed, and it was a beautiful look on her. Her cheeks tinged with pink against her pale skin and her hair was practically glowing in the firelight.

Clarke truly looked like a royal princess, and he felt unworthy of her love.

He saw Finn watching them, or rather, watching Clarke. Bellamy heard the rumors that Raven had broken up with Spacewalker last night so that meant he was free to pursue Clarke.

Bellamy knew that someone like Finn might be a better choice for Clarke. She was everything pure and good in this world and Finn would love to step in as her knight-in-shinning-armor.

That didn't mean Bellamy would ever let her go.

He might be a monster but he would protect her with his dying breath if that's what it took. Could Spacewalker say the same?

Finn caught Bellamy giving him the death stare and walked off.

"I'm feeling like getting very dirty Princess."

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"Yes." He nodded his head vehemently.

Clarke rolled her eyes and pulled away from him. He was about to protest when she grabbed his hand to pull him towards their tent.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

It was unusual for her to take the lead in sex but something about Bellamy made her want to be assertive.

Bellamy started pulling off his clothes as soon as he got into the tent while Clarke was content to just watch him strip. The way his muscles rippled across his stomach as he removed the shirt over his head, the way he fiddled with his hair to get it out of the way, and the way his leg muscles bunched up as he kicked off his pants.

Clarke stripped off her clothes, not allowing Bellamy to help or she'd find herself under him before she had her chance to play.

She pushed him down on the bed and Bellamy raised an eyebrow at her. Clarke grinned and crawled up his body until she was straddling his thighs. She trailed a finger over his pecs and circled his nipples, while Bellamy inhaled sharply.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss over his heart. "Mine."

Bellamy clasped his hands over her hips and jerked her forward, causing Clarke to slide over his erection. Clarke groaned in pleasure as the sensations hit her core.

"Clarke-" Bellamy was panting heavily. "I want you so bad."

"Patience is a virtue."

Clarke rocked back and forth, creating a delicious friction against his shaft. She knew her hips would be bruised tomorrow with the strength that Bellamy was using to hold on to her. He wanted to drive into her, she could tell by how he trembled at each stroke of her body against his, but he was letting her set the pace.

By the time he started to shake with the need of holding back, Clarke was ready for more. Leaning up, she positioned her body to align with his and sat down on his dick with one swift motion.

Bellamy shuddered. "Shit."

She couldn't help but grin at his response. "Patience is always rewarded."

With that, Clarke rolled her hips and Bellamy bucked against her. He must have felt he had been a good boy long enough as he started to thrust up into her, using his hold on her to pull her down on him at the same time.

Clarke bit her lip as she felt her orgasm being pulled from her with every stroke and she closed her eyes. Her head tilted back and moans started falling from her mouth with no care of if she was heard or not.

Bellamy pulled one of his hand off her hip and grasped her hair at the base of her neck. He gave a sharp tug and Clarke's eyes flew open to stare at him in surprise.

"Keep your eyes open Princess. Look at me as you come."

The words were so hot and it was all she could do not to come right then and there. Clarke stared into Bellamy's eyes and it was one of the most intimate experiences of her life. It felt like he could see into her soul and accepted everything that he saw there.

Bellamy seemed to have the same intense feelings as he started to sped up his pace, slamming into her almost as soon as he pulled back. Clarke felt her orgasm burst out of her and she would've sworn she saw fireworks in that moment.

A second later, Clarke heard Bellamy groan her name and climax inside of her.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Clarke was lying on top of him while she caught her breath, her face buried against his chest. Her body was warm against his but he knew that once the sweat cooled they would be cold, so he grabbed the fur with his fingertips and pulled it over them.

The two of them stayed that way for several minutes and he felt her start to fidget. Bellamy knew that she was trying to not think about her mom and that was the point of both the soap and the sex. Not that he was complaining about either, but he knew that it wasn't good for her to keep everything bottled up inside.

"Clarke-," he hesitated, wondering how to approach the subject as gently as possible, "-eventually you need to let it all out."

Bellamy felt her freeze and he worried that maybe he had overstepped. They were still figuring out their relationship at times and he was afraid that Clarke would push him away while she dealt with her grief.

It was subtle at first but then he realized that her body was shaking as she sobbed into his chest. Clarke was trying to hold herself still while she wept and Bellamy felt his heart-break for her.

He held her close to his body and stroked her hair, ignoring her half-hearted attempts at release. Clarke needed this relief and he'd be damned if he let her get in her own way.

Eventually, his Princess calmed and just held him with a fierce desperation.

Bellamy almost jumped when he finally heard her whisper, "She died thinking I hated her."

That's what she thought?

"No baby, she didn't. Your mom knew you loved her despite everything that happened between you two. That's what family means. To always see past the bad and still love each other, even when it's hard to."

Clarke didn't answer for a few minutes and Bellamy thought she finally drifted off.

"Thank you Bellamy."

* * *

**(MURPHY)**

He had his every move today watched on Bellamy's orders.

After convincing Clarke of his supposedly good intentions, he had started to work on Bellamy. The guy was mistrustful and would need more work to earn back his trust. He knew this well because they had been buddies when they first got here; he had been his right-hand man.

Then that fucking little girl killed Wells and he got blamed for it. He may not have been a perfect Ark citizen but he wasn't a murderer.

Until now.

Every day, he thought of slitting that bitch Princess' throat. Or hanging Bellamy by a tree and watching as he slowly suffocated. It was their fault for what happened to him. For what he had suffered through.

Now that he was back in camp, he was going to make sure they paid.

He would have his revenge.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you guys thought this update was never going to come! Sorry! If you know me, you know that I've been putting out other Bellarke fanfic content in the meantime so I was keeping busy. Don't hate me for "Emptiness" but love me for "Matchmaker". Anyways, this chapter includes content from episode 1x11 so if you haven't seen the episode...SPOILER ALERT! As always, I cut, copied and pasted as I needed to mesh the episode to my story. Enjoy!

 

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke stood outside the wall the next morning, consumed with thoughts of Grounders and their upcoming retaliation for the bridge.

Bellamy was several feet away from her, talking to a few of the guards about switching shifts and keeping their eyes open. No one knew when an attack could come and in what form.

They learned that lesson from Murphy.

"Anything?"

Clarke realized that Bellamy had moved to stand beside her while she was lost in though. She shook her head in reply.

"It's been a few days. Maybe the bomb at the bridge scared them off for good."

Bellamy looked at her skeptically, "You believe that?"

They shared a knowing look, each aware that the Grounders wouldn't forgive and forget.

Clarke found herself shaking her head again, "No. They're coming."

In unison, they started back toward camp; there was still plenty of preparing to do that day.

"Jasper thinks he can cook up some more gunpowder, if he gets some sulfur, and Raven says she can turn that into landmines. So, uh, be careful where you step."

Clarke jerked her head and found Bellamy grinning at her.

"Ha. Funny." She rolled her eyes but a smile found its way to her lips.

"What I really need is a thousand more of her tin can bombs I can roll into their village and blow those Grounders to hell."

Clarke stopped in her tracks and Bellamy nearly barreled into her from behind. She stared at him in shock.

"That's what they want to do to us." Bellamy said, getting defensive.

"Can't believe we survived 100 years just so we could slaughter each other. There has to be another way." she spoke softly, almost to herself.

Bellamy shifted uncomfortably, "Any word from the Ark?"

"Radio silence"

"Finally ran out of air." he spoke softly, knowing that Clarke took the loss of the Ark hard, especially on top of her mother's death.

"Maybe my mom was lucky being on the exodus ship. At least it was quick." she paused, unwilling to voice her next thought, "No one is coming down to save us."

Clarke found herself wrapped up in Bellamy's arms and she just held on, fear for their future threatening to consume her.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy wished he could soothe Clarke's fears away but he knew that she was right to worry. Their time on Earth had not been easy and it was getting harder every day. So instead, he just gave her comfort now the only way he could.

It wasn't long before Bellamy heard shouts coming from behind him. He turned and saw that the smokehouse had caught ablaze.

Bellamy ran towards the fire, remembering that Octavia had been on duty there today. He didn't see her in the crowd and was starting to panic when she exited the building, covering her mouth and coughing. Bellamy helped her off to the side where it was safe.

"Are you okay?"

Octavia nodded, still coughing too hard to speak.

As he checked her over for injuries, Murphy ran past him and hit another boy, Del.

"This is all your fault! We told you it was too much wood."

"Get the hell away from me!"

Bellamy rushed over to pull the two boys apart. "Hey! Hey!"

Neither were listening and where trying to reach around him to attack one another. Bellamy stood in the middle with his arms outstretched, putting as much distance between them as he could.

"Hey, stop! Save it for the Grounders."

The boys glared at each other before Murphy turned away and walked off.

Octavia looked to him in despair, "Bell, now what the hell are we gonna do? That was all the food!"

Bellamy's eyes shot instinctively toward Clarke and locked with hers. They both knew that their chances of survival had just plummeted.

Everyone in camp stood and watched as the fire engulfed the building, along with their most precious resource.

* * *

A few hours later found Bellamy shifting through the embers.

"Any idea what happened?"

He looked up and found Clarke standing next to him, looking over the ruins.

"Murphy says that Del kept feeding the fire, mostly because Octavia told him it was a bad idea."

"And we believe Murphy?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I do. Yeah."

Bellamy had been reluctant at first, but when Octavia had confirmed enough of Murphy's story, he had no choice but to believe him.

"We have some wild onions and nuts in the drop ship. It's only enough to last us maybe one or two weeks. What's left here?"

"Nothing. It all burned." Bellamy stood up and looked around, wondering how they would recover from this.

She paused as if in thought, "Then we have to hunt. Anyone we can spare goes out."

Clarke turned to go but Bellamy caught her arm, stopping her before she could walk away from the bomb she had just dropped on him.

"With the whole Grounder army out there?"

"Look. We can't defend ourselves if we're starving." Clarke tried to reason.

Bellamy clenched his jaw; he knew that she was right about this, so after a brief hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

"Each group takes someone with a gun, and they're for killing Grounders, not food. We don't have the ammo. Use the spears for hunting. Get what you can. Be back by nightfall. No one stays out after dark."

Clarke watched as Bellamy gave everyone their marching orders and then slipped off to find herself a partner. They had agreed that one of them should stay behind in camp and since it was her idea, she was the one going out.

Bellamy hadn't been happy about it but he had finally given in after she wore him down with reason.

"Hey, Clarke? You alone? You maybe want to go together?"

She turned at the sound of her name and found Myles, one of the guards talking to her.

Clarke gave a small smile at his exuberance, "Sure. I'll get some gear."

As Miles already had a gun, the only thing left to grab was a spear. She was picking one out when Finn walked up to her.

"You ready to go?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, surprised, "I don't think so."

He gave her a cajoling look, "Come on. I'm a good tracker. You're lousy with a spear but you're sneaky. We make a good team."

Clarke hesitated. She knew that it wasn't a good idea given their history but she missed him as a friend.

"Hey, partner, we're wasting daylight." Myles joined them before she could answer and he just seemed to notice her companion, "Oh, Finn, you're joining the band?"

Finn glanced at the kid before looking back at her. "Sure."

"Awesome. Haven't really got a chance to hang with you guys much." Said the boy in excitement. They all started to walk to the drop ship entrance while he continued on, "Hey, do you even know how I got arrested on the Ark?"

The boy slipped through the opening while she and Finn exchanged an amused smile.

"I'm dying to hear about it." said Finn as they followed Myles outside.

Neither of them realized that Raven had watched them leave together and drawn the wrong conclusion.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

"We need more ammo."

He had popped his head into Raven's tent to get more supplies for some of the hunting parties, when he found her throwing her stuff into a backpack.

"That's it till Jasper gets back. Now get out of my tent." She thrust three bullets into his hand and then resumed what she was doing.

"Where you going?"

"The hell out of here."

Bellamy knew he had to stop her. She was one of the best mechanics on the Ark from what he had heard and she had saved their lives many times since arriving on Earth.

"No way. You're not leaving."

"Really? And what makes you think you can tell me what to do? Aren't you a janitor?"

He rolled his eyes at her attempt to piss him off, knowing it was her way of getting him to leave her alone. "Where you gonna go?"

"Into these damn woods. Don't worry about it. I'll find someplace safe."

"Just wait." Bellamy grabbed her elbow before she could walk out. "Don't be an idiot. You go alone, and you're dead...or worse."

"So what's your plan, sit here until you run out of bullets?"

"Yeah...", he paused for effect, "or until you come up with something better."

Raven looked at him in surprise. Bellamy had always been impressed with how smart Raven was, even with their rough start, and he thought Finn was an idiot for not realizing that a great girl he had.

"Come on, Raven. You came down here in a pod you rebuilt yourself. You made a bomb out of a tin can. What else you got in that head of yours?"

She hesitated and he knew that he had her. Appealing to the girl through her skills had been the way to go after all.

"Radios. We can't defend ourselves if we can't communicate. If we can build radios, walkie-talkies-"

"Then we can fight as a team. We'd have a chance, at least." he smiled and then remembered Clarke's empowering words to him, "See? We need you. You may be a huge pain in the ass, but you're smart."

Bellamy left her tent then, glad to know that he hadn't just lost one of his best people due to Finn's stupidity.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Her little adventure group had managed to find a set of fresh tracks and were in the process of following them.

Myles seemed nervous as he stared at the prints in the ground, "One of those scaly panther things?"

"Boar." Finn's answer was short and Clarke knew it was because he was concentrating on tracking the animal.

"Good, because that panther meat is nasty, but I could eat a whole boar by myself, no joke." Clarke could hear the gun rattle in his hands as he rambled on, "You know what the best part is of the board? It's gonna sound gross."

Clarke noticed that Finn looked concerned so she interrupted, "Myles, quiet for a second."

She knelt to examine the tracks, "What is it?"

Finn gave her a thoughtful stare, "These tracks."

After giving it a second check, she realized that it didn't feel right. It didn't look like other tracks that she had seen before. "They're perfect."

At the same time, Finn and her looked around the forest, both looking for something that they now knew was there.

"We're the ones being hunted." whispered Finn.

Myles had been kneeling with them but at this statement, he stood up to look around skeptically. "I don't see anything."

Seconds later, an arrow came flying out and hit the boy in the knee. He started to buckle in pain when a second arrow got him in the shoulder.

Clarke cried out when the kid fell down, "Myles!"

"Clarke, come on. We got to leave him." stated Finn as he took off running.

She didn't want to abandon Myles but she knew that they were in danger. The Grounders would kill all of them without a second thought. She hesitated for just a moment and it cost her.

A masked Grounder came out of nowhere and hit her in the head with a club, causing her to go down.

Clarke watched as Finn froze when she fell, "Clarke-"

"No." She tried to yell at him to run but it was too late. Another Grounder appeared and knocked him out.

Everything started to fade out of sight, but the last thing she could distinguish was the Grounder leader Anya staring down at her.

* * *

Clarke woke up to find her hands tied and a rope binding her to Finn with the end held by a guard. She was thankful that they hadn't taken Myles as well.

Maybe then, if he survived, he would manage to make it back to the camp to let the others know what had happened. He was their only hope of rescue.

It took over an hour of walking to reach their destination, which wasn't helped by the constant pushing of the guards on their backs in trying to force them to walk faster. Clarke had almost stumbled twice due to the harsh shoves.

They arrived at what looked to be left of a destroyed house, going down a set of stairs into a large room.

One of the guards forced them to kneel on the hard floor and then took off for the other room.

Finn leaned closer to her and whispered, "We walked for about 3 miles after crossing that creek, another two or so before we got to the road."

"I don't think it matters, Finn. They didn't blindfold us, which means they don't care what we saw. They're probably gonna kill us." stated Clarke.

The second guard came from behind them and pulled them up to their feet again. He pushed them into a second room before making them kneel once again.

Clarke stared at the guards, wondering why they were still alive.

Not much time had passed when Anya came through the door and stood in front of Clarke, pulling out a dagger from her back.

Finn struggled to protect Clarke but the guard pulled him back, and she felt pure fear that this would be their end.

Before she had time to react, Clarke found her hands freed from their restraints.

"What do you want from us?" she asked Anya.

"Help her." Anya turned to look at a young girl, laying on a table, obviously in pain. Then she pointed her dagger at Finn. "If she dies, he dies."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

When he arrived at his tent that night, it wasn't Clarke that greeted him like he had hoped.

Bellamy had heard the hunting parties had come back at dark and he searched for Clarke but when he didn't find her, he thought maybe she had gone to bed.

Instead, it was Raven standing in their tent.

"What are you doing in here?"

"They sure don't waste time. I'll give them that. What's it been, a few days?"

He didn't know whom exactly she was referring to but he had a feeling it involved Spacewalker. Bellamy didn't feel in the mood to deal with her drama again today, not when he still hadn't found Clarke.

"You're mistaking me for someone who cares. Time to move on."

Raven sat down on the bed and started to remove her boots. He stared at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Moving on."

When she took off her pants, that's when he got nervous. What was she trying to do? Clarke would kill him if she found a woman in their tent, especially a half-naked Raven. He couldn't bear to hurt her like that.

"I've never been with anyone but Finn. Take off your clothes." Raven started to move towards him and he held out a hand to stop her.

"Raven, you've got the wrong idea here. I'm with Clarke and I'm not going to cheat on her just because Finn hurt you."

She gave him a look that he couldn't decipher. "Then you don't know?"

"Know what? What are you talking about?" he was growing more confused by the second.

"That Finn is in love with your girlfriend? That they went out hunting together, and they've not come back? What does this tell you, Shooter?"

That was news to Bellamy and he wondered why Clarke hadn't told him. He felt sick as an unwelcome thought crept into his head. Was a part of her still in love with Spacewalker?

Clarke had told Bellamy that she loved him, but for the first time he felt a flicker of doubt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will he or won't he? Mwuhahaha. You'll have to wait to find out =P


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long guys but I needed a break for a day or two. I did write a new one-shot called "Home Is Where The Heart Is" that I'm pretty proud of so check it out if you haven't already! I also added a new chapter for The Thin Line series if you aren't tracking the story but have been reading it. This is seriously my longest chapter yet at about 3,800 words. I had a lot of episode to still cover plus my own storyline. I did resolve the Bellamy/Raven drama fairly early on in this chapter so I hope it will answer your burning questions...

**(CLARKE)**

She stared at the dying girl on the table, wondering how to keep her alive. Finn's life counted on it and she would not fail him.

"Her name is Tris." Anya told her as she looked over her new patient.

The girl was shaking slightly and she was wheezing, as if unable to draw in a full breath. Clarke noticed that she didn't acknowledge anyone in the room, so she must be unconscious.

Clarke didn't know how exactly they expected her to help this kid. She didn't even know what was wrong with her. "I can't do this. I don't have any equipment."

"We'll provide you with what we can." Anya nodded to a Grounder who left the room.

"Why do you think I can save her?" she asked, curious how they knew she had medical training in the first place.

Finn piped up, "Lincoln told her."

"Yes. Our healer is gone. There's nothing we can do for her. For his sake, I hope you can." Anya turned to leave the room and Clarke looked to Finn in fear. His life rested in her hands and her ability to save that little girl.

"Clarke, you can do this." Finn said, his belief in her shining in his eyes.

"Wait." Anya stopped and turned to look back at Clarke's shout. "What happened to her?"

"She was on the bridge when your bomb exploded. You did this to her."

Clarke started to wonder if the path she had started down was really the right one after all.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

His hesitation must have shown on his face because Raven stepped close and pressed her lips against his. The shock was enough to give him a jolt back to reality. Bellamy jerked back away from her and wiped the kiss off with the back of his hand.

"I'm not that guy. Not anymore." he glared at her.

She looked to almost be in tears but he couldn't afford to be soft with her. There could be no confusion to where he stood and that was by Clarke's side. He knew Clarke and she wouldn't betray him like that nor would she deliberately hurt Raven. It just wasn't in her to cruelly make someone else suffer.

"Why are you being so loyal to her? She's out there fucking Finn right now while you're here waiting for her. Clarke used you to pass the time."

Bellamy had never hit a woman in his life but Raven's words brought him the closest he's even been. It was one thing to insult him, but not Clarke. Never her.

"Get the fuck out."

Raven stared at him with a look that carried anger, hurt, and a little bit of shame for being half naked in his tent while he was rejecting her. She then pulled on her pants and stormed out of his tent.

Bellamy had hesitated and it killed him inside. Doubting Clarke once before had almost caused him to lose her forever and he would not make that mistake again.

Now he just had to find her.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Clarke was in a panic, the girl was starting to gasp and cough. She was starting to suffocate. She started to riffle through their tools to find something that could help but was coming up empty.

"She's getting worse." stated Finn.

Clarke stood up and moved over to her patient, "Help me lift her up."

It was difficult to move the girl as she was dead weight and Finn's hands were still tied, but together they were able to have her sit up. Clarke pressed her ear to Tris' back and listened to her breathing. "She's not moving any air on the left. There's fluid pressing on her lungs."

Finn looked the girl over, "I don't see an entry wound."

"No. It wasn't shrapnel. It was trauma. The force of the explosion, it hit her in the chest. She's drowning in her own blood. She can't breathe. I have to relieve the pressure."

Clarke looked around the room, trying to find what she needed. Not seeing it, she turned to one of the guards, "I need a small tube, something rigid the size of my finger."

One of the Grounders handed Clarke the a pen that was empty of its ink. "Here."

"Fifth intercostal space. This better work." Clarke had grabbed a scalpel and was feeling the girls' ribs to find the correct spot. Her mother had shown her how to do this before and never was she so grateful for all her lessons that at this moment.

She took a moment to steady her nervous hand then pressed the sharp blade into Tris' skin. Too deep and she would make it worse. Not deep enough and it wouldn't work.

"You're okay. Attagirl. Breathe." she spoke softly as the girl cried out in pain.

It was her cries that brought Anya storming back in, just as Clarke was just inserting the empty pen case into the wound to allow for the blood to drain from the lungs.

"What have you done?"

"No. You don't understand. She couldn't breathe." Clarke implored to Anya, wanting her to understand that she wasn't trying to harm the girl.

Anya grabbed Clarke and threw her to the floor. Chaos erupted as Finn ran to protect her but stopped immediately when another guard attacked him and he fell to the ground as well.

The Grounder that had helped Clarke locate the pen, took Anya aside to whisper in her ear. She spent several minutes looking over the girl's condition before glancing over at Clarke and Finn.

Clarke helped Finn up to his feet and neither were assaulted again. Apparently the Grounder had explained to his leader that they had really been trying to help the girl.

She leaned close to Finn to not be overheard while she checked his head for injury, "She's breathing a little better, but even if can we save her, what happens then?"

"Then maybe we don't die today." Finn stared into her eyes and she felt her heart squeeze at the intensity at which he stared at her with. No matter what had happened between them, she didn't want Finn to die because of her.

"She's hot." Anya called out to Clarke while she leaned over Tris, her hand pressed against her skin.

Clarke walked over and laid her hand at the child's neck, checking her pulse. "Her heart rate is way up. She's probably septic."

"What does that mean?" The Grounder leader stared at Clarke in obvious frustration at not understanding.

She glanced at Finn who walked over to the supplies to check for medicine that might be able to help them. "It means her blood is poisoned."

Clarke walked over to Finn and they spent a few minutes going over all the vials and herbs but none matched what she needed. She was angry that this girl was dying because these people wanted her as a warrior at a time when she should be chasing butterflies. And she was scared that Tris might die which would mean that Finn would be killed in revenge.

"I don't see any antibiotics. Maybe that lake seaweed?" Finn asked her, trying to keep her on task when she hesitated.

"She doesn't need seaweed. She needs real medicine. How you send a little girl into battle? What is wrong with you people?" she glanced over at Anya, the anger clear in her voice. This was their fault. All the Hundred were trying to do was protect themselves and it was the Grounders that had sent in a little girl to fight.

"She was with me. She was my second. It's how we train them to be warriors." Anya stared her down.

"Oh, so the killing can just go on and on?" she asked. Clarke could hear Finn trying to get her attention but she was too focused on Anya.

The leader moved towards Clarke, raising her voice as she went, "You put the bomb on the bridge. You did this to her."

Tris started to gasp again and Clarke knew that they were running out of time. This girl was going to die soon unless she did something about it.

"She needs clean blood." It had taken her a moment but she remembered that new blood introduced into the system could help flush out the bad blood running in her veins.

"Transfusion?" Finn asked fearfully. He somehow knew that this was becoming a desperate situation for them both.

"Okay. There's no tubing. so we need a syringe, the biggest one you can find, and I need a cannula. It's like a hollow needle." she told him.

They looked at each other for what could only have been seconds but felt like forever. This was their last chance to save the girl and they both knew it.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He had checked everywhere and still no Clarke. Despite what Raven had insinuated, he knew that Clarke wouldn't betray him. Bellamy felt like an idiot for even having a second of doubt, but that meant if she wasn't back yet, then there was a serious problem.

Bellamy found Monty near the gate and walked over to him. The guy seemed to know everything going on at camp so he'd be the best person to ask.

"Hey Monty, have you seen Clarke or Finn around?"

Monty shook his head looking worried. "No and that kid Myles isn't back either. All three of them went out together but they should have been back here by now."

"Shit." Bellamy muttered to himself. They hadn't even been alone together.

His heart started pounding in fear and different scenarios of what might have happened to Clarke started running through his head. Was she hurt? Maybe one of the others was hurt and she had stayed to help them. But then why hadn't one of the others come back to camp to alert them?

Every scenario taking form in his head was worse than the one before. He refused to acknowledge his biggest fear. His Princess was alive. Bellamy didn't allow himself to believe anything else.

"What do you think happened?" Monty asked him.

"I don't know but we're going to find them. Go track down Raven and see if she's finished those walkie-talkies. We'll need them if they are. I'll grab a few people and we'll head out in few minutes so be quick." he ordered and was glad that Monty jumped to it, not dawdling or asking more questions.

Bellamy didn't want to talk to Raven and he was sure she didn't want to face him either, especially when she found out that her assumptions were off-base.

He saw Octavia standing nearby and knew that she had overheard everything. Bellamy waited as she walked over to him, determination in her eyes.

"I'm coming with you."

Bellamy sighed. He knew that she was going to insist on coming along. "I don't like it but I could use the help. I trust you and need someone to keep an eye on Raven. She'll be...upset and it's better if you're the one with her instead of me."

Octavia looked shocked that he agreed with her but at his last words she raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Let's just say we had a disagreement and leave it at that."

She nodded, although giving him a look to say that this conversation wasn't finished.

No more than ten minutes had passed before Monty and Raven appeared at the gates with weapons and the walkies. Raven avoided meeting his eyes but he could see that she looked upset and worried.

Bellamy didn't comfort her. He had his own fears to contend with.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

"It's as sharp as it's gonna get."

Finn had spent the last few minutes rubbing the tip of the needle he had found against the concrete floor in trying to sharpen the edge. It would be difficult to pierce the skin with a dull head which would make any type transfusion difficult at best.

"Alright. Thanks." Clarke took the needle and inserted it into the syringe, holding it up for Finn to pour the bleach that had been supplied to them. Alcohol would have been better but she'd take what she could get.

She walked up to Anya and held out the syringe "I'm gonna need your blood."

"No." The Grounder that had helped them earlier was now glaring at Clarke while he stood in front of his leader.

"You're from the same tribe. It's the best match we're gonna get." she tried to explain but they both just stared back at her in defiance.

"Clarke, if you're gonna do something, you have to do it now. Just use mine." Finn had come up behind her and offered up his arm. Tris was gasping for air so Clarke nodded and inserted the needle into a vein running though his forearm. She pulled on the handle to suck the blood up into the syringe then turned to the girl.

"I can't find a vein. She's clamping down. She's lost too much blood." Tris was strangely silent now and Clarke was starting to freak out. She needed to do this now.

"Oh, come on." she muttered to herself.

"Clarke..." Finn was trying to get her attention but she was too focused on the girl's veins. She needed to find one quickly before it was too late. "She's not breathing."

Clarke felt cold dread invade her. They stepped away for Tris's lifeless body and Anya moved to take their place. The Grounder stared down at the girl for several seconds before pulling her knife out. Clarke's heart jumped to her throat and watched as Anya cut off one of the girl's braids, clutching it in her fist.

She stared into Finn's eyes, wondering if they really would kill him because she had failed to save the girl. If this would be their last moments together. She wished for so many things, but more than anything all she wanted was to keep Finn safe from harm.

Anya moved to leave but halted at the door, turning to one of the guards "Take him away and kill him."

The guards approached them in unison, one grabbing Finn by the shoulders and leading him outside while another stood in front of Clarke when she desperately tried to stop them from taking him. "No. No. No. No! No. Please no. I did everything I could. No!"

Tears were streaming down her face as Finn fought against the guard's hold. Clarke didn't want to lose him. He was the first boy she had loved here on Earth and been one of her first friends she had made down here. He still held a piece of her heart and she couldn't bear losing him too.

"Clarke, stop. They'll hurt you." Finn called out to her, willing to protect her even as he was led off to his death.

"No. Get off. No!" she cried to the man stopping her from reaching Finn. She struggled and started to hit the Grounder, trying to get free.

She watched as Finn gripped the door frame to get one last look at her before he was yanked away, disappearing from her sight.

Clarke finally gave up on fighting, and after several minutes had passed she began to work in a daze as she gathered up the tools on the ground. She needed something to do to distract herself from the thought of what was happening to Finn. If he was still alive or if he'd been killed immediately upon exiting the building.

The Grounder that had held her back was helping her once again as he collected the supplies. She didn't understand how he could be so well disposed one minute and so cold the very next.

"Anya will take no pleasure in your friend's death. Prove your worth, and you'll be welcome here."

Clarke glanced up in surprise. "I couldn't save Tris. Why would you want me?"

"We told you. Our healer is gone."

They both stood and she stared at him as she processed this new information. Clarke couldn't believe that they expected her to just join them after what her people had done. She turned her back on him to hide her hate and anger and walked over to the table where Tris had died. Her body had already been removed from the room so there was only the scalpel and syringe that Clarke had used previously.

"Will I be able to go back to see them- My friends, my home?" she asked, already knowing the answer but daring to hope.

"Tomorrow there'll be nothing to go back to."

Clarke felt a new fear creep up her spine, making her shiver. First they had taken Finn away from her and now they were threatening the rest of her people? Jasper, Monty, Octavia...Bellamy.

She wouldn't let them take the only family she had left in the world from her. Clarke saw the scalpel and an idea started to form. She didn't have the time to wonder if she was brave enough to follow through with it.

"Those marks on her shoulder, what are they? Lincoln has them, too." she asked the Grounder, remembering the unusual scars on her shoulder.

"Each scar marks a kill in combat."

"Five kills? She was a little girl." she could only stare at the man in shock at how many deaths could be laid at the girl's feet.

"She was brave." he answered her, pride clearly evident in his tone.

"How many do you have?" she pressed on, stepping closer so that she would be in range when the time came. Clarke watched as he removed part of his chest armour to show her his multitude of marks. "That's a lot."

"And half were after I hurt my knee."

Clarke had guessed that that his right knee was damaged when she had watched him limp around earlier. She hadn't considered it useful until this very moment. She thrust out her leg and kicked him hard, watching as he crumpled to the ground.

She took the scalpel hidden in her hand and slashed at his throat. The man fell back and slumped against the wall, gripping his throat in an attempt to stop the flowing blood. When he tried to rise, Clarke pushed him back and pressed her hands against his mouth, effectively silencing his cries.

"Shhh...shh shh shh shh..." she hushed him over and over while watching the life slowly drain from his eyes. It only took a minute before the fight left his body and he was dead.

Clarke ran.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

The group had searched for Clarke, Finn and Myles for some time without any trace. They had broken off to go separate ways so that they could cover more ground. It had taken them awhile but they had finally narrowed down the path they had taken. The plan was to meet up and find their specific tracks in hopes that it would lead to them.

"I thought you said you were heading west. Where are you?" Monty called them on the radio, sounding confused and lost.

Bellamy rolled his eyes, annoyed that the boy had gotten lost. He didn't want to waste time trying to get Monty on the right track. What he wanted was to find Clarke and make sure she was okay.

"Just keep the moon on your left, and you'll find us." he replied via radio.

He was approaching the area where the girls were when Monty called him on the walkie again. "Is anyone else hearing this signal?"

"Just keep your eyes open." he heard Raven tell the boy.

"I think it's the same thing we heard in the black box." Monty sounding more and more agitated. Bellamy could hear a faint noise in the background but nothing that would cause alarm.

"Damn it, Monty, pay attention. Do you see anything? Report." he snarled at the boy. Bellamy didn't have time for this. They all needed to stay focused.

"Oh my God." Monty buzzed through the walkie before a loud screech sounded and he cut out.

Bellamy was about to radio him back when Raven's voice came through the speaker, "There's someone in the bushes."

He rushed to the girls, praying that they had found Clarke and the others. Needing to know that she was safe was all that mattered to him at that moment.

"Myles?" Octavia called out, surprised.

The boy was groaning in pain and didn't answer them. Bellamy could see two arrows sticking out of Myle's shoulder and leg. He felt his body grow cold as he looked around for Clarke and Finn. This couldn't be good if the boy with the weapon had been hurt and the other two were missing.

"Myles, what happened?" Octavia asked, while she checked his injuries.

"Where are they? Clarke and Finn, where are they?" Raven asked the boy, desperation bleeding into her voice.

"Grounders...took...them." Myles bit out, pain making the words difficult.

Bellamy knew that he had to make a choice. Get the boy back to camp or continue searching for Clarke. Every instinct told him to keep looking for her but in his heart, he knew that Clarke would tell him to save the boy.

"Take it easy. We have to get him back to camp." he said to the girls, forcing himself to keep his voice stern and unwavering.

"Bells, what about Clarke and Finn?" Octavia stared at him in shock, not expecting that he would give up on the search for Clarke so soon.

Bellamy shared a look with his sister, trying to convey that he was doing what Clarke would want him to. Risking a glance at Raven, he saw that she was struggling with the decision as well.

"Raven, I'm sorry." He may not like Spacewalker but he knew that his priorities would have also included the boy first.

She stood up and paced for a minute before turning back to them, "We need to make a stretcher."

"Monty, we're heading home. You copy?" Bellamy tried to radio the missing party member as the search was over for now.

When he got no answer, he tried again, "Monty, can you hear me? Monty..."

"Monty, where the hell are you? Report. Monty..."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize my dearest friends for taking over a week to update! I was struggling with writer's block about how I wanted to proceed now that the season is over. There have been some small plot changes in this chapter versus the tv show and you will continue to see more changes in order to keep this story going during the hiatus. I have yet to decide when and where this story will finally end up but it's always in the back of my mind but I don't see it happening any time soon so fear not! Again, please forgive me for taking so long to update with this chapter and know that your support means the world to me!

 

**(CLARKE)**

She ran as if her life depended on it, which it did as the Grounders would surely kill her now that she had taken the life of one of theirs'. It was night and the trees overhead covered the moonlight making it difficult to see where she was headed. More than once, Clarke stumbled over tree roots and she felt clumsy in her own body.

Clarke knew she needed to be careful but there was a panicked feeling crawling up into her throat that pushed her harder and harder until she was running purely on fear and not the usually logic and reason that sustained her.

Bellamy.

She had to get back to Bellamy.

That Grounder said that her friends would be killed in the morning and she would never see them again. She had to hurry and warn them before it was too late. Before she lost anyone else that she loved.

The thought pushed her harder and she felt like she was flying through the forest as she ran. If she hadn't been so focused on saving her dysfunctional family, maybe she would have seen it.

Clarke found herself hanging upside down from the trap before she knew what had hit her.

"No, no!" she found herself crying, the tears fell with gravity towards the ground, wetting her forehead and hair as they leaked from her eyes.

She had failed her people. She had failed to save them all.

Each of the remaining Hundred's faces flashed before her eyes before settling on the one that meant the most to her. Bellamy's freckled one appeared foremost in her mind, smirking with his arrogance as his eyes flashed with love for her.

Clarke would give her life, the very air from her lungs, to save him.

His words from earlier in the day haunted her.

Watch where you step.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Bellamy was losing it, slowly but inevitably.

He could feel the camp's fear pressing down on him while his sanity and temper were suffering for it. The Grounders could attack at any moment and the woman he loved had been taken. On top of that, Monty went missing on his watch.

He never felt like such a failure as he did in that moment.

Raven and Jasper were working on burying their newly created landmines as the rest of the camp was building structures that would allow for better coverage during the upcoming battle. It had been a hard night for everyone, knowing that they had lost more people but Bellamy knew that if they slacked off, the Grounders would level this place to ashes.

It didn't stop him from worrying about Clarke and her well-being, wondering if he was making the right decision by not going after her. Bellamy could only hope that she was still alive since Grounders didn't kill her on sight yesterday. It was a slimmer of hope that he held on to in his darkest moments.

It didn't stop him from feeling like a ticking bomb though, slowly counting down before it blew up in everyone's face.

"Come on. These foxholes aren't gonna build themselves. Better hope those landmines work. All the gunpowder we're wasting, we could be making more grenades." He growled at Raven, still pissed at her for distracting him when they should have looked for their missing people. For Clarke.

"You want to come over here and test one?" she snapped back at him.

"Cute. I need this entire section mined by morning. Then you finish the south field."

Raven stood up abruptly at this announcement and stormed over to him, getting into his face, "Hey…I told you, we're going after Finn, Clarke, and Monty in the morning."

His fists clenched in pain at the sound of Clarke's name coming from this girl's lips, "And I told you, nobody leaves this camp."

Bellamy turned his back on her and was about to walk off when Raven grabbed his arm and swung him back around to face her.

"I'm talking to you. We can't just abandon our people. You want to lead them, show them you give a damn." She sneered at him as if disgusted by his lack of concern for the others.

He wanted to tell her that of course he cared and that it was killing him to not go after their missing. Bellamy would give anything to save Clarke, but he had responsibilities to the camp and the remaining group. He felt like a piece of him had broken inside and his sanity was slipping out through the crack.

Before he could say any of that, a gunshot sounded off behind him and he whirled around to find Tim, a guard, fumbling with his rifle. "Hey...What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, man. I fell asleep. I've been on watch all day." Tim stumbled over his words in the face of Bellamy's thunderous expression.

He grabbed the boy by his jacket and pushed him hard against the tree, "We've all been on watch all day! That bullet was one less dead Grounder."

"Bells, you're scaring people." Octavia called from over his shoulder, tension running through her voice.

He turned to face the crowd that had gathered around them. "They should be scared! The bomb on the bridge bought us some time to prepare, but that time is up! The Grounders are out there right now, waiting for us to leave and picking us off one by one when we do!"

Bellamy watched as the fear showed plainly and he knew that they were slowly starting to realized how perilous of a situation faced them. They were delinquents that would have been given an almost certain death sentence on the Ark and still, the idea of actually dying still scared them. He knew he needed to rally the troops so that they would fight like their life depended on it, because it did.

"Clarke..." his voice cracked on her name and he had to stop for a second to collect himself before continuing on, "Clarke, Finn, and Monty are gone. If you want to leave, I can't stop you, but no guns are leaving this camp! This camp is the only thing keeping us alive! Get back to work!"

He walked off towards the drop ship, his back straight and his head held high, presenting the strong leader image that they desperately needed to see in order to soldier on.

Yet, inside he was dying.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

She didn't know how long she hung there, upside down from a tree, the breeze gently swaying her body back and forth. Clarke had tried to free herself, but she was unable to pull herself up enough to grasp her ankle and untie the knots holding her in place. There was also the danger, falling at such a high distance, that she would break a bone or crack her head.

Clarke debated calling out for help but finally decided to risk it, as the Grounders would just find her sooner or later. Maybe she would get lucky and one of her own people would be out searching for Finn and her.

Finn.

She choked up when she thought of him. He had done everything he could to protect her and she had failed to do the same in return. The image of Finn being dragged off to his death was forever burned into her mind.

Shoving that memory as deep in her mind as she could, she yelled for help till her throat burned and her voice cracked.

"He..lp. Ple..ase…"

Clarke started to get excited when a figure appeared in the distance. It was too dark to make out the details but there was definitely someone there, walking towards her.

She grew cold as the person drew closer and she realized she was staring down at a Grounder. The man was wearing a mask so she was unable to make out his face. However there was something oddly familiar about him, she just was unable to put her finger on it.

"Clarke."

That voice. She knew that voice!

Relief filled her and she gave a hesitant smile, "Lincoln."

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He stared down at his war map without really seeing it. The pieces placed just so to represent all the work that they had accomplished for their defenses. Nevertheless, Bellamy could only think about all that they had already lost. Who they had already lost.

Myles, the boy they did manage to rescue, was lying down inside, moaning with pain from his wounds. Octavia had done what she could for him but she wasn't the healer that Clarke was. All they could do was pray and wait.

Bellamy glanced at the boy, wondering why he was left behind but Clarke and Finn weren't. A small selfish part of him blamed the boy for what happened. He knew it wasn't fair and that Clarke would disapprove, but he couldn't help how he felt.

Jasper walked inside the drop ship, glaring at Bellamy with betrayal. It surprised him how much it hurt to see such a look on his friend's face. The fact that Jasper didn't trust his decisions made him feel sad and alone.

"Don't you think I want to go after them, too?" he asked Jasper, wanting him to understand.

"If it was you out there, you think Monty, Clarke, or Finn would hide behind these walls?"

He swallowed hard against the despair rising up. Bellamy knew that Clarke would go after him, no matter what the circumstances. He just didn't think that was the right choice as a leader. "No. They'd go after me. Then they'd be dead, too. I am doing what I think is right for the group."

"It's funny, you didn't think that way when Octavia went missing." Jasper retorted before he brushed past and set his gun down on the nearest surface.

"Where are you going?" he asked, knowing that there was still plenty of work that needed finishing before morning.

Jasper turned and mockingly saluted him, "More gunpowder for your minefield…Sir." With that, his friend turned and climbed the ladder and disappeared from sight.

"Water...please." muttered Myles, his voice weak.

"I'll get you some." Bellamy left the drop ship in search of water.

So focused on the task, he didn't notice Murphy slip inside after he left.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

Lincoln released her from the trap, slowly lowering her to the ground as he held on to the rope. She was still in shock that her rescue came in the form of this man.

Once her feet touched the ground, she turned to him, "What…I mean…how? How did you find me?"

Clarke felt dizzy and confused, most likely because of the blood rushing to her head from her little trip, but she knew it was no accident that this particular Grounder had found her.

Lincoln shrugged and looked over his shoulder.

Clarke followed his gaze, locking her eyes onto someone she thought she would never see again except in her nightmares. She gasped, "Finn. Oh, my God. Oh, my God!"

Finn gave her a hesitant smile and she ran over, throwing her arms around his waist and pulling him close. Clarke held him tightly to her body, afraid to let go and find out that it was all in her head. Tears streaked down her face and she buried her head in his chest. He smelled like sweat and woods, with a hint of a scent that was purely his own.

He cupped the back of her head as he returned the embrace and she felt his lips press against her hair. "I don't understand how-" she murmured, her face pressed against his shirt.

"Lincoln saved my life. He killed one of his own people to do it." Finn whispered in her ear.

She went still as that piece of information worked itself into her brain. Lincoln had betrayed his tribe to help them.

Clarke eased out of Finn's clasp and turned to Lincoln. "Thank you. Thank you for saving us both. But…why are you helping us?"

"This can't just be about Octavia." Finn added sounding just as confused.

He stared off quietly and for a minute Clarke didn't think he was going to answer, but then he turned to her. "What my people are doing to yours is wrong."

They all shared a look with one another, silently understanding that Lincoln had chosen a side and it was with the Hundred. He had turned his back on his own people to help them.

"We need to hurry, others will be coming soon."

It was all they needed to hear and were soon running after Lincoln into the forest.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

He was walking back to the ship with a cup of water for Myles when he heard Jasper over the walkie-talkie. It came across as muffled at first but he could make out Murphy's voice, which was odd because he was supposed to be working near the south wall on a foxhole.

"-happen to me if you tell Bellamy." Murphy's voice came over the radio and he sounded panicked.

"Tell Bellamy what?" he responded, hoping to get this resolved quickly so they could all return to work.

It was silent for a moment. In that second Bellamy got a bad feeling and started to walk faster. There was something off in Jasper's voice that made him want to hurry back. Murphy's voice drifted from the walkie again. "Give me the radio, Jasper."

"Murphy has a gun. He killed Myles." Jasper rushed the words and there were sounds of a scuffle that abruptly cut out.

Bellamy heard gasps rising from those nearby as others heard the words on their own walkies and he could feel their eyes on him as he ran. "Murphy, what the hell are you doing?"

Faintly at first, he heard a cranking sound and it jolted him when he realized that the door to the ship was closing. By the time he arrived, it had already reached the halfway point and there was no way he could get inside. "Murphy! Murphy! Open the damn door!"

"You try to be a hero, Jasper dies."

And with those parting words, the door slammed shut.

* * *

**(CLARKE)**

The trio traveled south for a few miles running as fast as their feet would carry them, while trying to stay ahead of the Grounder war party that was chasing them. Lincoln had been right when he told them that they would be followed, but they had been enough of a head start that it would buy them some time.

Lincoln lead them to an opening, nearly hidden by overgrowth. It had wooden beams supporting the frame and it reminded Clarke of the mines that she had seen pictures of in her history books.

"Come on. In here." Lincoln pointed to the entry.

"What is it?" she asked him, staring at the pitch black cavity as if it would give her the answers she craved.

"Someplace they won't follow." Lincoln sounded so sure of the fact that it made Clarke hesitate at the entrance. Why wouldn't they risk going after them? What was Lincoln not saying?

"Wait…where does it lead?"

"Everywhere. There's a tunnel to your camp. If we make it through, we should get there before them. Go. Go!" he waved his arms as he kept glancing over his shoulder.

It was then that she heard the hoof beats against the hard packed earth and she knew that they had been found. Clarke quickly entered the tunnel and she felt Finn behind her as they stumbled in the darkness to get further inside.

She heard Anya shouting Lincoln's name in the distance and the sound of an arrow flying through the air towards them. There was a grunt of pain and Clarke knew that it had hit its mark.

* * *

**(BELLAMY)**

Octavia came running up behind him, fear blatant in her eyes. "I just heard Murphy has Jasper."

"Yeah. South foxhole done?" he asked, his tone struggling to remain emotionless. Bellamy knew that this would be hard on his sister so he had tried to keep her busy and away from the drop ship. Apparently, the rumor mill worked faster than he had anticipated.

She stared at him in shock. "What? Bellamy, my friend's in there with a killer."

Bellamy pulled her off to the side, lowering his voice to a whisper, "O, look around. No one's working. If the Grounders attack us right now, we're all dead."

Octavia barreled past him and stood in front of the door to the drop ship, shouting "Murphy! Murphy, if you even touch Jasper, I swear to God, you're dead."

"O, I got this."

She turned to glare at him, "Really? Because it doesn't look like you're doing anything about it."

No sooner than the words had flown from her mouth when Raven appeared bringing him the news he had waited for.

"Bellamy, you were right. There's a loose panel on the back. If I can pop it, we can get in through the floor." Raven glanced over at Octavia for a brief second before returning her gaze to Bellamy, waiting for his approval.

He nodded, "Good. Do it."

Raven left them alone but he didn't turn back to his sister. He was hurt that she had so little faith in him even if a part of him understood her anger. O thought that he was abandoning Jasper. She thought he had given up on Clarke as well.

"Sorry." Octavia whispered before stepping away.

Bellamy took a deep breath, knowing he needed stay calm for this next part, then pressed down on the button for the walkie, "Murphy, I know you can hear me. All our ammo and food is in the middle level. You know that. You're leaving us vulnerable to an attack. I can't let that happen."

"Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, you're not exactly in control right now." Murphy retorted.

"Come on, Murphy. You don't want to hurt Jasper. You want to hurt me. So what do you say? How about you trade him for me?" Bellamy knew that this was a gamble, but he wouldn't let anyone else suffer for his mistakes. He could only hope that Raven was able get those door back open after he was inside.

Octavia had apparently not gone far because she appeared at his side, grabbing his elbow. "No."

"All you have to do is let him go, and I'll take his place." He ignored his sister as he continued to bait Murphy. Bellamy needed to do this and he would not be dissuaded.

There was no answer for several minutes and he started to wonder if Murphy was even listening to him anymore. He was going to try again when Murphy finally said, "How?"

"Bellamy, if you do this, he'll kill you." Octavia tried pleading with him again.

"If I don't, he'll kill Jasper." he told her, wanting O to understand. She stared at him, looking stricken. Bellamy knew that she felt torn between saving both her brother and her friend.

He contacted Murphy again. "Simple. You open the door, I walk in, he walks out."

The door started to drop again and Bellamy knew Murphy had accepted his terms.

"Just you , Bellamy, unarmed. 10 seconds, or I'll put one in Jasper's leg." Murphy shouted at him from behind the door flap.

Bellamy pulled out his axe and rifle to hand over to one of his guards before giving Octavia the walkie.

"One"

He turned to his sister and pulled her into a hug, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time he saw her again. She whispered in his ear, "Raven will find a way to get you out."

"Two."

"I can handle Murphy" he told her.

"Three."

"Get everyone back to work. The Grounders are still coming." Bellamy pulled away from her to stand at the top of the entrance, just before the flap.

"Four...Five..."

"I'm here." he called out to Murphy before stepping inside. Bellamy had a glimpse of Jasper before he saw Murphy push him outside, his friend falling as he went.

He heard the door close behind him and Bellamy just hoped that he didn't just make a big mistake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REVIEWS! Give it to me folks. Yell at me for being a slacker of the worst kind. Rave about the newest chapter and what you liked about it. Tell me what you're hoping to see in the future for my story. Or even just rant about the finale. I love to hear from everyone. From those that review every chapter and those that I haven't heard from since the beginning (are you guys even still here???). Love you all!


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